KNOWLEDGE 



OF 



THE BIBLE 




Book .^ 






Ci)EmiGHT DEPOSm 



Knowledge of the Bible 



REVISED FROM 



The Biblical Reasons Why 



A Family Guide to Scripture Readings and a 
Hand-book for Biblical Students 



ILLUSTRATED WITH 
NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS 



This Work gives KNOWLEDGE founded upon the Bible, and assigned 
by the most eminent Divines and Christian Philosophers, for the great 
and all-absorbing events recorded in the History of the Bible, the Life 
of our Savior and the Acts Qf His Apostles. 



J. B. SANDERS & COMPANY 

Publishers 

Cincinnati, Ohio. 






Copyrighted, 1916. 
J. B. SANDERS, 
Cincinnati, Ohio. 






OCT 301916 



CU448148 






Knowledge of the Bible 

A Hand-Book for Biblical Students 

AND A GUIDE TO FAMILY SCRIPTURE READING 

Beautifully Illustrated. Large 12mo., Cloth, Gilt Side and Back. Price, $1 .50 

This Work gives Knowledge of the Bible, and assigned by the 
most eminent Divines and Christian Philosophers, for the great and 
all-absorbing events recorded in the History of the Bible, the Life of 
our Savior, and the acts of His Apostles. 

EXAMPLE 

Why did the first patriarchs attain such extreme longevity? 

Why was the term of life afterwards shortened? 

Why was Saul, who was a bad man, selected as the first King of 
Israel? 

Why are the several manifest variations in names, facts, and dates, 
between the books of Kings and Chronicles? 

Why is the book of the Prophecies of Isaiah, a strong proof of 
the authenticity of the whole Bible? 

Why did the ancients strew ashes upon their heads as a token of 
mourning? 

Why did our Savior receive the name of Jesus? 

Why did John the Baptist hesitate to administer the rite of Baptism 
to Jesus? 

This Volume answers 1 ,493 similar Questions. 

The Publishers have in their possession numerous testimonials from 
the principal Clergymen of all denominations in the United States and 
Canada, recommending to the attention of Sunday School Teachers, Heads 
of Families, and all Biblical Students, as a work peculiarly adapted to 
the popular comprehension, and designed to familiarize the general mind 
with the real signification, of all the more obscure passages in our English 
translations of the Old and New Testaments; and in every instance they 
are the honest convictions formed after an actual perusal of the volume 
itself. ^ ^ 

For terms to canvassing Agents, apply to or address, 
J. B. Sanders & Co., PuhlisherSy 

Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Active, energetic Agents can find constant and paying employment. 

iii 



WHY WE HAVE REVISED AND PUBLISHED 

THIS BOOK. 

First, realizing that the time has come that people in 
general want to know things and they want to learn it as 
easy as possible. Hence this volume is put in print. 

If there is any other book of the same size that treats 
on the same subject that has as much real knowledge in it, 
we never have seen it nor we have never seen anyone else 
that would say that they had seen its equal. When you 
have this book as your own, you have something that has 
taken years of hard work and lots of. gray matter to obtain 
and will be a great treasure for any library or home. It 
will be as good as long as time lasts as its information is 
absolutely reliable. There is no one that has the least 
asperation to know things that can deprive himself of this 
book. It will be a store-house of real information as long 
as time rolls on and will be used by your children's chil- 
dren. It is sent out in the name of the Giver of all Wis- 
dom that it will gladden hearts everywhere on account of its 
simple way of revealing knowledge. 

Respectfully, 

J. B. Sanders & Co., Publishers, 

Cincinnati. Ohio. 




INTRODUCTION 




HE study of the 
Bible has ever 
been, and will 
always con- 
tinue, a deep- 
ly interesting 
one to every 
earnest and 
faithful Chris- 
tian ; because 
it contains the 
seeds of that 
knowledge of 
salvation so es- 
sential to his 
soul's welfare. 
Many clever 
and learned 
commentaries 
have been writ- 
ten on the Holy 
Scriptures, displaying, on the part of their authors, deep 
and profound erudition; but as many, who are, per- 
chance, well acquainted with its sacred truths in their own 



language, may not be sufficiently, if at all, versed 



m 



th. 



Hebrew, Chaldaic, or Greek — the original languages in 
which both the Old and New Testaments were written — 
these commentaries are to them sealed books, and many a 
passage is regarded as difficult and obscure for want of 
some plain and simple explanation of a particular c :stom or 



Vll 



Vlll INTRODUCTION. 

characteristic, that might at once clear away the cloud of 
darkness hanging over it. 

Another class of persons there are who have not had 
many educational advantages, and are able, not without 
labor and difficulty, to read their Bible. They must often 
feel the want of some book that would help them in their 
Biblical study, and, at the same time, originate for them a 
new train of thought. 

There is also the rising generation — that great hope of 
Christ's kingdom — of whom our Savior said, ''Suffer them 
to come unto me:" these are the constant objects of Chris- 
tian solicitude; to them the Book of Life has to be opened, 
and its precious contents explained and applied. 

No opinion has been adduced that does in any, or the 
slightest degree militate against the grand fundamental 
doctrines of our holy religion, as for instance, the Doctrine 
of Baptism, or of the Trinity; nor is there anything through- 
out the whole work that is not perfectly consonant with the 
tenets of our Christian churches. 

That this work, though not pretending to rival in 
scholarship, or profound learning, its older and more able 
predecessors in Biblical lore, may yet be the means of help- 
ing many a sincere and right-minded Christian in the study 
of the Book of Life; and also may lead many a careless 
reader and hearer of its sacred truths to a more hearty 
longing for greater spiritual knowledge and growth in 
heavenly wisdom, is the most earnest wish and desire of 

A Clergyman. 



PUBLISHERS' PREFACE 



In introducing the **Kn0WLEDGE OF THE Bible" 
the PubHshers conceive it judicious to put on record their 
honest reasons; to place themselves rectus in curia, as 
the legal gentlemen say, in the premises. They desire to 
assume higher ground than the exclusively business one of 
common mercenary impulses. They desire to have it under- 
stood that the leading motive in their enterprise was a 
disposition to popularize a knowledge of the Scriptures; to 
remove the embarrassments which usually beset the way of 
the unlearned multitude in the perusal of the Bible; to 
smooth the road to an easy and thorough comprehension oi 
its more obscure passages; to enable the mass of the people 
to peruse that invaluable work understandingly, so as to 
arrive at correct conclusions for themselves, and enjoy with 
more eminent satisfaction the commentaries and deductions 
of the accredited ministers of the gospel. 

In the United States, the inclination to read is universal. 
The ability to read, (thanks to that spirit of progress which 
animates the great body of our political institutions!) is 
almost co-extensive with this instinct. And few will deny 
that the most interesting and advantageous subject for the 
popular study and reflection, in this country, is the Volume 
whose teachings constitute the basis of all our laws; whose 
principles are confessedly recognized in all our apprehensions 
of justice; whose tenets pulsate, like the life-blood, in every 
vein and artery of our social system; whose code of morals 
sways, insensibly, all commerce between man and man, as 
well as dictates the accepted relationship between man and 
his Maker. 

Apart from all considerations of a purely devotional 
character, the Bible is a production of that character of 
which no one who pretends to have an appetite for solid 
information, cares to feel himself ignorant. Biit, without an 
intimate acquaintance with ancient history, ancient habitudes, 
and ancient learning generally, it is beyond the power of 



IX 



X PUBLISHERS PREFACE. 

the ordinary reader to impress upon his memory an ample 
knowledge of Biblical facts; he is constantly sensible of his 
defective erudition, and he may have neither the means nor 
the leisure to seek out for himself those sources of relative 
enlightenment which can alone enable him to appreciate, in 
all respects, the allusions and expressions of the inspired 
writings. Heads of families are more particularly subjected 
to these mortifying self -convictions, when questioned by 
eager children in regard to the more occult suggestions of 
the Word of God. To all such, this **Kn0WLEDGE OF 
THE Bible" must become an inestimable companion. It 
leaves them with no excuse for ignorance on Biblical sub- 
jects. It supplies them with a convenient instructor, always 
accessible, always prompt, always satisfactory. 

To that large class of American citizens, who view the 
Scriptures with a feeling more akin to reverence, and who 
search the inspired pages for that inner light, which is as 
their **cloud by day and their pillar of fire by night," to 
guide them in a conscientious direction — what a source of 
increased mental enjoyment the **Kn0WLEDGE OF THE 
Bible" presents! Puzzling paragraphs become transparent 
as air! Vague and incoherent sentences assume, at once, 
the beautiful proportions of exactness! Apparent incon- 
sistencies disappear; and what before seemed susceptible of 
duplicate interpretations, stands forth, by the aid of this 
explanatory coadjutor, in all the rare simplicity of self- 
manifest truth. 

The Publishers deem it but justice to add, that the 
''Knowledge of the Bible" will be found, on scrutiny, 
to be Tpholl}) divested of all sectarian bias whatever. It will 
be found exempt from every shadow of a disposition to 
offend the prejudices or partialities, the views or opinions of 
any class of readers. It teaches no dogmas. It inculcates 
no special topic of faith. It contents itself with a reference 
to authorities and facts, leaving the student, in every case, 
to use his own judgment and draw his own conclusions. 
This strict impartiality should commend it to every fastidious 
mind; and, as a vast repertory of valuable information, it 
must commend itself to every reflecting one. 



LIST OF AUTHORITIES 
AND WORKS 

CONSULTED AND QUOTED IN THE 

KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE 



ASbadie's Traite de la verite de la 
Relig. Chretienne. 

Angus' Bible Hand-book. 

Bardon's Costumes des ancien Peu- 

ples. 
Barnes, A., on the New Testament. 
Beard's Historical Evidences. 
Brown's W., Antiquities of the Jews. 

Buckingham's .Travels in Palestine, 

etc. 
Bunsen's Christianity and Mankind. 
Burden's Oriental Customs. 
Burder's Scripture Expositor. 
Bush's Illustration of the Scriptures. 

Butler's Analogy of Natural and Re- 
vealed Religion. 

Butler's Lives of the Saints. 

Calmet's Commentaire. 

Calmet's Dictionary of the Bible. 

Carpenter's Natural History of the 
Scriptures, Litterale sur tous les 
livres de I'Ancien et du Noveau 
Testament. 

Carr's Manual of Roman Antiquities. 

Chalmers* Biographical Dictionary. 

Chordin's Voyages en Perse et autres 
hieux d'Orient. 

Conybear's Epistles of St. Paul. 

Cox's Biblical Antiquities. 

Cruden's Concordance. 

Davidson's Introduction to the New 

Testament. 
Didron's Christian Iconography. 
Douay Bible. 

Encyclopaedia of Religious Knowledge. 
Foxe's Acts and Monuments. 

Herzog's "Real Encyklopadiae," trans- 
lated by Bomberger. 

Humphreys Manual of Coins, etc. 

Hug's Introduction to th« New Tes- 
tamoot. 



Jahn's Biblical Archaeology. 

Jahn's Hebrew Commonwealth. 

Jenks* Companion to the Bible. 

Jones' Proper Names of the Old Tes- 
tament. 

Josephus' Works, by Whiston. 

Kitto's Cyclopaedia of Biblical Liter- 
ature. 

Kitto's Pictorial Bible. 

Macknight's Truth of the Gospel His- 
tory. 

Maundrell's Journey from Aleppo to 
Jerusalem. 

Michaelis' Mosaisches Recht. 

Murray's Truth of Revelation Demon- 
strated, by an Appeal to Gems, 
Coins, etc. 

Oxford Bible, A.D. 1769. 
People's Dictionary of the Bible. 
Rhemish Testament. 

Roberts's Oriental Illustrations of the 
Scriptures. 

Robinson'* Biblical Researches. 

Smith's Dictionary of Greek and 
Roman Antiquities. 

Stackhouse's History of the Bible. 

Stuajrt's Commentary on the Apo- 
calypse. 

Watkins's Biographical Dictionary. 

Watson's Bishop, Apology for the 
Bible. 

Watson's, R., An Exposition of the 
Gospels of St. Matthew and St. 
Mark, etc. 

Watson's, T., Popular Evidences of 
Natural Religion and Christianity. 

Whitby's Paraphrase and Commentary 
on the New Testament. 

Wiseman's Lectures on the Connection 
between Science and R«yealed Rt- 
ligion. 



INDEX 



The Numbers, except where otherwise indicated, refer to the Ques- 
tions. The various titles of our Savior, such as "our Lord/' "Jesus," 
"Christ," etc., have been entered under the one appellation of "Jesus:" 
so that most of the Questions relating to our Savior will be found in one 
part of the Index. 



Aaron, why did the rod of, 
burst into blossom 216 

Abel, why killed by his brother 
Cain 54 

Abel, why was Divine favor ex- 
hibited towards 55 

Abiathar, why deposed 362 

Abihu and Nadab, why did 
they perish by fire 189 

Ablution, ceremonies of, why in- 
stituted 196 

Abner, why did he proclaim Ish- 
bosheth king of Israel 325 

Abner, why did he offer to de- 
liver up Ishbosheth 327 

Abner, why slain by Joab _ 328 

Abram, why called to depart 
from his country and kindred 82 

Abram, why did he not return 
to.his friends after the famine 84 

Abram, Jewish traditions of his 
father and uncle 85 

Abram, why did he pretend that 
his wife was his sister only — 88 

Abram, whv blessed by Melchiz- 
cdek 91 

Abram, why did he take Hagar 
to wife 94 

Abram, why was his name 
changed 98 

Abram, signification of the name 99 

Abraham, why did the three an- 
gels appear to him 100 

Abraham, why commanded to 
sacrifice his son Isaac 103 

Absalom, why did he slay his 
brother Ammon 339 

Absalom, why did he fly the 
kingdom 339 

Absalom, why did he revolt 
against David 340 

Aceldama, why purchased 1050 

Achan, why stoned to death 245 

Acts of the Apostles, why writ- 
ten 1150 

Acts of the Apostles, why so 
called 1152 

Adam, why so named 42 

Adam, why did he name the 
animals 44 

Adonijah, why did he aspire to 
be king 357 

Adoniiah, why did he fly for 
refuge to the horns of the 
altar 359 

Adonis, a heathen Greek idol__ 548 



Agrippa II., account of 1309 

Ahab, why did he put Naboth 

to death 403 

Ahasuerus, edict of, against the 

Jews 447 

Ahithophel, why his counsel was 

not taken 344 

Ahithophel, why did he hang 

himself 344 

Aholiab and Bezaleel, why in- 
spired 177 

Alabaster ware 972 

Alexander the Great- 548 

Alexander the coppersmith 1381 

Alleluiah, meaning of 983 

Alms, directions concerning dis- 
tribution of 873 

Alpha and Omega, why the 
names are applied to Jesus 

Christ 1425 

Alpha and Omega, meaning of 

the words 1426 

Altar, Greek 548 

Altar, perpetual fire on 191 

Ambrose, St 1468 

Amen, why used as a name 1444 

Amen, why does the Bible con- 
clude with the word 1456 

Amos the prophet, why sent 522 

Amos, his ministry, its date 523 

Ananias and Sapphira, why so 

severely punished 1195 

Ancients, why did they strew 

ashes upon their heads 489 

Andrew, St., account of 596 

Angel at Bethlehem, why did he 

utter the words "Fear not"__ 676 
Angels at Bethlehem, why did 
they sing "Peace on earth," 

etc. 681 

Angels, the, of children, Jewish 

views concerning 790 

Angel at the sepulcher, why did 

he sit there 1129 

Angel, meaning of the term 1424 

Anna, the prophetess, why so 

called 678 

Artipas 1435 

Antiochus, king of Syria 548 

Apocrypha, its meaning 11 

Apocrypha, why should the 
books so called be read and 

considered 549 

Apollos, cause of the dispute in 

which his name occurs 1330 

Apostle, meaning of 591 



INDEX. 



Apostles, why to set forth with- Balista 519 

out two coats, without shoes, Barnabas, St., why so named 1193 

and without a staff 832 Bartholomew, St 603 

Apostles and disciples, why did Basil, St., account of 1476 

they remain quietly at Jeru- Beelzebub, meaning of word 859 

salem after the ascension of Bel and the dragon 549 

our Lord 1160 Belshazzar, what was the occa- 

Apostles, why did they receive sion of the handwriting on 

the gift of tongues 1168 the wail 506 

Apostles, what was the first Bereans, why commended 1272 

form of worship adopted by Bethlehem, why the journey to, 

them 1182 was painful to Mary and 

Apostles, why did they invoke Joseph 672 

Jesus *'of Nazareth" 1185 Bethesda, pool of> its peculiari- 

Apostles, why twelve in number 593 ties 781 

Apostles, why did they use Sol- Bethesda, signification of the 

omon's porch as a place of name 782 

meeting 1197 Bezaleel and Aholiab, why in- 

Aquila and Priscilla, notice of 1280 spired 177 

Arabs, what was the ordinary Bible, why the most venerable 

dress of 1087 and interesting of books 1 

Archelaus, why deposed 713 Bible, why so named - 2 

Areopagus, its character .1274 Bible, when first rendered into 

Ark, why was Noah commanded the Saxon tongue__ < 3 

to build it 63 Bible, Coverdale's version of 

Ark, why did it occupy so many the, (page) 5 

years in building 69 Bible, Matthew's edition of the 

Ark, why considered to be a (page) ^ 6 

figure of baptism 71 Bible, Cranmer's version of the 

Ark of the covenant, represen- (page) 6 

tation of 184 Bible, the Geneva version of 

Ark, capture of, by the Philis- the, (page) 6 

tines 285 Bible, Taverner's version of the 

Ark, why allowed to rest at (page) 6 

Kirjath-jearim. ^ 286 Bible, Parker's, or the Bishop's, 

Ark, how conveyed 332 version of the (page) 6 

Ark, why those were punished Bible, why are certain words 

who incautiously touched it 332 printed in italics 20 

Ark, removal of, from the house Bible, Roman Catholic or Douay, 

of Obed Edom 333 why so called 21 

Ark, why did David dance be- Bible, why commencing with 

fore it .-- 334 these words, "In the begin- 

Asshur, why is the mention of ning" — _ — __ _ 29 

this person especially inter- Bible, why not a history of the 

esting 73 world -— ^_____ 57 

Assyrian archers, representation Bishops and deacons New Tes- 

of 392 tament meaning of those titles 1356 

Athanasius, St., account of____ 1462 Blind man, superstitions of the 

Athenians, why did they set up disciples respecting human af- 

an altar to the "unknown flictions corrected by Christ 821 

God" 1276 Blind man, why bidden by 

Augustin, St., account of 1466 Christ not to publish his 

praises . 823 

Baal, prophets of, why chal- Boot and shoe, Rom.an 737 

lenged by Elijah 398 Bossuet, his remark ^upon the 

Babel, tower of, why built 74 seven churches 1428 

Babel, why so called 76 Bowing, Oriental mode of 418 

Babylon, symbolical use of the Bowing, modern Persian mode of 420 

word 1452 Boxers, Roman_ , 1339 

Balak, why he sent for Baalam 224 Cain, why did he kill Abel 54 

Balaam, why sent- for by Balak, Cain, why a mark was set upon^ 

king of Moab ', 224 him i! - 56 

Balaam, why held in detestation Cain, whv did he build a city 57 

by the Jews 225 Caiphas, prophecy of___^ 989 



INDEX. 



Calendar, origin of the 1492 

Calf, the golden, why set up 173 

Calvary, mount, why so called 1069 
Canaan, why taken possession of 

by the Israelites 222 

Canaan, why so called 567 

Canaan, what were its liraits__ 568 
Canaanitish woman, why re- 
pulsed 895 

Candlestick, golden 369 

Canon, derivation of the term 11 

Capsa or scrinium for the recep- 
tion of MSS., representation 

of ___ 622 

Cherubim, Egyptian representa- 
tion of 184 

Christians, why disputes have 
arisen among them in refer- 
ence to the sacraments 1020 

Christians, sufferings of the 

early 1346 

Chronicles, first and second 

books of, why written 419 

Chronicles, the, why so called 420 

Chronicles and Kings, books of, 
why several variations be- 
tween them 421 

Chrysostom, St., account of 1464 

Circumcision, why instituted 97 

Circumcision, why did Jesus 

Christ submit to it 682 

Cities of the plain, why de- 
stroyed 101 

Clement, account of 1358 

Cleopas, account of 1142 

Cock-crowing, why alluded to by 

our Lord 1044 

Codex, origin and meaning of 

the word 623 

Cold water, cup of, why the of- ' 

fering of one is significant 776 

Colossians, the epistle to the, 

why written 1360 

Combats, ancient, customs of 902 

Cooking, ancient 202 

Corinthians, epistle to the, why 

written 1340 

Covenant, ark of the 184 

Cow, Egyptian 127 

Creation, why said to be com- 
pleted in six days 31 

Cross, why the inscription set 

over the 1082 

Crucifixion : 1069 

Crucifixion, why the most pain- 
ful mode of death 1076 

Crucifixion the, why did Christ 

so soon die . 1099 

Crucifixion the, meaning of the 
phrase "from the sixth unto 

the ninth hour" 1096 

Crucifixion, why, at the moment 
of his death, did Christ cry 
out with a loud voice 1097 



Crucifixion, why did the execu- 
tioners not break the legs of 
our Lord 1101 

Crucifixion, why did the soldiers 
pierce the side of our Lord 1103 

Crucifixion, why the flowing of 
the water and blood from the 
side of Christ is related only 
by St. John 1105 

Cushan, king of Mesopotamia, 
why raised 257 

Cyprian, St., account of 1474 

Cyril, St 1472 

Daniel, book of, why so called 496 

Daniel, account of 497 

Daniel, interpretation of the 
writing on the wall 507 

Daniel, why thrown into the den 
of lions 508 

Daniel, why could he not be re- 
leased by Darius 510 

Daniel, how preserved from the 
lions 512 

Daniel, prosperity of 513 

Daniel, why are his prophecies 

particularly interesting 514 

Daniel foretells the time of the 
coming of the Messiah 515 

David, why did he fight with 
Goliah 303 

David, why brought to Saul's 
presence 307 

David, why did he flee to Ach- 
ish, the king of Gath 311 

David, why did he feign mad- 
ness while with Achish 312 

David, why did he spare Saul 314 

David, why did he spare the life 
of Saul a second time 316 

David, why did he order the 
Amalekite to be put to death 324 

David, why did he suffer Ish- 
bosheth to remain two year8 
unopposed «^ 326 

David, why did he suflFer the 
ark of God to remain at 
Perez-uzzah 331 

David, why did he remove the 
ark from the house of Obed 
Edom 333 

David, why despised by Michal 
his wife , 334 

David, why was his request to 

build the temple refused 336 

David, why displeased with Joab 347 

David, why did he number the 
people . 350 

David, why called a man after 
God's own heart 355 

David, why did he command 
Solomon to punish Joab and 
Shimei 359 

David, why was the term "Son 
of David" hateful to the 



XVI 



INDEX. 



Romans 987 

Deacons, why were the seven 

appointed 1201 

Deluge, why the universal to 
be believed apart from the 

Biblical narrative 67 

Demas 1379 

Demetrius Phalereus, advice of 15 
Deuteronomy, characteristics of 182 

Dionysius the Areopagite 1278 

Disciples, why were they not to 
fast while Christ was with 

them 826 

Disciples, why alarmed at the 
appearance of Jesus during 

the storm 865 

''Disciple, the," why St. John 

so designated himself 1126 

Doves, sellers of, in the temple, 
why mentioned in the same 
passage as the money-changers 779 

East, symbolism of the 972 

Eastern bottle, representation of 785 
Ecclesiastes, book of, why called 475 

Eden, garden of, why formed 37 

Eden, garden of, why so called 38 
Eden, garden of, why the Tree 

of Life was planted in it 40 

Eden, garden of, promise made 
to our first parents after their 

expulsion 50 

Eglon, king of Moab, why raised 

up ^ 257 

Egypt, ten plagues of 156 

Egyptian cow, representation of 127 
Egyptians, why said to have 

been enslaved by Joseph 133 

Egyptians, no right of property 134 
Egyptian steward, representation 

of 129 

Egyptian sorcerers, how enabled 
to counterfeit the miracle of 

Moses's rod 153 

Egyptians, ornaments of the 188 

Egyptian customs in cases of 

death 787 

Elders, seventy, why appointed 212 
Eli, wickedness of the sons of__ 283 
Eli, what was the immediate 

cause of his death 284 

Elijah, why fed by ravens 393 

Elijah, why called the Tishbite 395 
Elijah, why did he dwell with 

the widow of Zarephath 395 

Elijah, why did he challenge the 

prophets of Baal 398 

Elijah, why was vengeance 

vowed against him by Jezebel 401 
Elijah, why did he bring fire 

from heaven 405 

Elijah, why was he carried to 

heaven in a chariot of fire — 407 
Elijah, parting of, with Elisha 408 
Elisha, why were the children 



who mocked him killed by 
bears 409 

Elisha, why did he sweeten tlie 

bitter waters of Jericho 410 

Elizabeth, why has the name a 

significant character 661 

Elizabeth, why did her child, as 
yet unborn, "leap" at the ap- 
proach of the mother of Jesus 663 
Elymas the sorcerer, why struck 

blind 1237 

Elymas, blindness of, why said 

■ to be only for a season 1239 

Enoch, why was he translated 59 

Enoch, the book of, mentioned 

in Jude 14 1415 

Ephesians, the epistle to, why 

written 1349 

Ephesus, books burnt at, in the 

presence of the apostle ' 1289 

Ephesus, the angel of the church 

of, addressed 1427 

Ephesus, coin of _. 1428 

Ephratah, why affixed to Beth- 
lehem i--- 673 

Epicurean and Stoic philoso- 
phies, statement of . — 1277^ 

Esau, why so named 108 

Esau, why the name of Edom 

was applied to him 109 

Esther, book of, why so called 434 
Esther, writer of the book of_^ 435 
Esther, book of, date of the 

events narrated therein 437 

Esther, what circumstances led 

to her elevation 439 

Esther, how introduced to king 

Ahasuerus 442 

Esther endeavors to save Mor- 

decai 449 

Esther, why invited into the 

king's presence 450 

Esther, request of, to the king 451 

Esther, intercession of, on be- 
half of the Jews 458 

Eusebius, account of 1490 

Eve, formation of, out of a rib 

of Adam 45 

Excommunication practised by 

St. Paul 1341 

Exodus, book of, why so called 138 
Ezekiel the prophet, why raised 

up -_- 493 

Ezekiel, book of, divisions and 

contents of 494 

Ezekiel, prophecy of, why re- 
markable 495 

Ezra, book of, why written 424 

Ezra, book of, contents of 425 

Ezra the prophet, why called th« 

son of Seraiah 426 

Eijra, why is the era of this 

prophet interesting _ 428 



INDEX. 



XV 11 



Ezra and Nehemiah, books of, 

leading facts contained in 433 

False teachers, why warnings 
were given concerning them 

by Christ 828 

Fathers of the Church, account 

of 1460 

Fathers of the Church, why so 

called 1459 

Feast of Tabernacles, why insti- 
tuted 208 

Felix, account of 1301 

Felix, why superseded by Festus 1305 

Festus, account of 1307 

Festus, why did he declare St. 

Paul to be mad 1313 

Fig-leaves, representation of 48 

Fig-tree, symbolical meaning of 994 
Forbidden fruit, why did our 

first parents eat of it 46 

Forbidden fruit, what followed 

the eating of it 49 

Forehead, marks on the (page) 316 
Funeral burning, first mention 

made of in the Scriptures 323 

Gabbatha, why so called 1048 

Galatians, epistle to, why writ- 
ten 1342 

Galileans mentioned in Luke 

xiii., who were they 963 

Gallio, account of 1283 

Gamaliel, account of 1199 

Garments, custom of rending the 490 
Garments, why the blessed in 

heaven wear white 1450 

Gaza, the gates of, why carried 

off by Samson 268 

Gehazi, servant of Elisha, why 

struck with leprosy 412 

Gehazi, why commanded not to 

salute any one by the way 417 

Genesis, why so called 1 27 

Genesis, contents of 28 

Gentiles, why preferred to the 

Jews as the objects of 

Christ's second manifestation 679 

Gentile converts, why was the 

rite of circumcision declared 

unnecessary in their case 1258 

Gentile converts, why com- 
manded to abstain from meat 

oflFered to idols, etc 1259 

Gethsemane, situation of 1030 

Gethsemane, meaning of the 

word 1031 

Gibeonites, why exempted from 
the general extirpation of the 

Canaanitish tribes 246 

God, why said to have repented 

that he had made man 62 

God, why did he appear to 

Moses in the burning bush — 148 
God, twa wills to be distin- 
guished in 892 



Gods, why did men invent such 
a multiplicity of false 86 

Golgotha, why so named 1111 

Gospels and epistles, origin of 
the distinction between them 
in liturgies 619 

Gospel, why so called 571 

Greek altars and sacrifices 548 

Gregory, Nazianzen 1488 

Gregory, Nyssen 1488 

Gulf, why said to be one fixed 
between Lazarus and the glut- 
ton 934 

Habakkuk the prophet, why sent 
from God 539 

Hagar, why expelled from her 
house by Sarai 95 

Hagar, why did she call her 
child Ishmael 96 

Haggai, account of 544 

Haggai, the prophet, why sent__ 543 

Haman, why did he cause a 
gallows to be erected for Mor- 
decai 452 

Haman, what was his end 456 

Haman, why did he not at once 
seek the punishment of Mor- 
decai 446 

Hebrews, how enabled to pro- 
cure gold in the wilderness 187 

Hebrews, reason of their hatred 
of the Amalekites 445 

Hebrew children, the three, how 
enabled to pass through the 
fire scatheless 503 

Hebrews, the epistle to, whv so 
called !___ 1391 

Hebrews, the epistle to, why 
written . 1392 

Hebrews, the epistle to, why 
its authorship was once doubt- 
ful 1394 

Hebrews, the epistle to, when 
written 1396 

Hebrews, the epistle to, prin- 
cipal contents of 1399 

Hebrews, the epistle to, why 
placed after St. Paul's other 
epistles 1398 

Hell, what is meant by saying 
that the gates of, should not 
prevail against the Church 834 

Heresies, why did they spring 

up in the infant Church 1332 

Herod the Great, notice of 
(page) 119 

Herod, instances of his cruelty 707 

Herod, why troubled at the ad- 
vent of a new-born king 690 

Herod, why did he give orders 
for the slaughter of the inno- 
cents 692 

Herod, why did he slaughter 
the innocents 706 



INDEX. 



Herod, the cause of his death 708 
Herod, why the name is applied 
in the New Testament to dif- 
ferent persons 704 

Herod, why did he mock Jesus 1058 

Hilary, St., account of 1478 

Hindoo self-torture. 399 

Holy city, description of the 570 

Holy family, why did they fly 

into Egypt 702 

Holy family, why did they re- 
turn to Nazareth instead of 

Bethlehem 710 

Holy Ghost, sin against, why 

unpardonable 874 

Holy Ghost, what is^ meant by 

the baptism of the 1155 

Holy Ghost, why did he descend 
upon the apostles in the form 

of fiery tongues . — 1162 

Holy Ghost, descent of, why ac- 
companied by a peculiar sound 1172 
Holy Ghost, number of persons 

present at the descent of 1174 

Holy Land, why was the term 

first applied to Palestine 569 

Horse, the white, its symbolical 

meaning (page) 316 

Hosanna, meaning of the word 985 
Hosea, the prophet, why sent to 

the Jews 516 

Hosea, book of, its contents 519 

Human body, composition of — 43 
Human life, the term of, why 

shortened 61 

"Hundred and forty-four thou- 
sand, '* signification of the 

number 1448 

Idolatry, how did it arise 87 

Ink, nature of, used in ancient 

MSS. 626 

Inkstand, ancient Roman 627 

Inspired, the term as applied to 

the sacred writings 6 

Inspiration, definition of 7 

Interpreters, the seventy-two 15 

Interpreters, reception of, by 

Ptolemy 15 

Interpreters, where lodged 15 

Interpreters, presented to 15 

Irenseus, St., account of 1480 

Isaac, why was his youngest 

born called Jacob 110 

Isaiah, why called the evangel- 
ical prophet '. 479 

Isaiah, explicitness of his pre- 
dictions 480 

Isaiah, why sometimes called 
the Prince of all the Prophets 481 

Isaiah, account of 482 

Isaiah, prophecies of, why the 
book is a strong proof of the 
authenticity of the whole Bible 483 
Ishbosheth, why did his captains 



revolt -- 329 

Israel, children of, why held in 
bondage by the Egyptians 140 

Israel, why did its leaders cut 
off the fingers and toes of king 
Adonibezek 256 

Israel, depravity of the people of 269 

Israel, children of, why did they 

desire a king 288 

Israel, people of, why did they 
revolt from Rehoboam 382 

Israelites, slavery of . 139 

Israelites, menial offices of 152 

Israelites, why led by a pillar of 
a cloud and of fire 159 

Israelites, why pursued by Phar- 
aoh and his army 161 

Israelites, miraculous feeding of 166 

Israelites, time of sending the 
quails and manna 167 

Israelites, why did they set up 
a golden calf 173 

Israelites, camp of, general ar- 
rangement 193 

Israelites, why forbidden to eat 
blood 198 

Israelites, why forbidden to eat 
swine's flesh 202 

Israelites, why did they take 
possession of the land of Ca- 
naan 222 

Israelites, why did they retreat 
before Ai 244 

Israelites, why were they power- 
less before the Philistines 295 

Jacob, why was the name given 
to the younger son of Isaac 110 

Jacob, why did he fly into Mes- 
opotamia 112 

Jacob, under what circumstances 
married to Rachel and Leah 113 

Jacob, why did he remaift so 
long with Laban 115 

Jacob, why did he leave Laban's 
house clandestinely 117 

Jacob, why did he wrestle with 
the- angel 118 

Jacob, names of his twelve sons 122 

Jacob, why did his sons go down 
to Egypt 130 

Jacob, why did he dwell in the 
land of Goshen 135 

James, St., the elder, account of 597 

James, St., the less, account of 607 

James, St., the epistle of, why 
called "general" 1401 

James, St., the general epistle 
of, contents of -— 14C3 

Jehu, why anointed king during 
the life of Ahab 41 t 

Jehu, account of 41 > 

Jephthah's rash vow, why made 257 

Jeremiah, prophecies of, why 
given 485 



INDEX. 



XIX 



Jeremiah, book of, its contents 

Jeremiah, name of, why gener- 
ally associated with a feeling 
of sadness 

Jeremiah, history of 

Jericho, why did its walls fall 
down 

Jeroboam, why did he set up 
the worship of the golden 
calves at Bethel and Dan 

Jeroboam, appointed feasts by 

Jeroboam, why did his hand 
wither 

Jeroboam, why did he make war 
v.ith the kingdom of Judah 

Jerome, St., account of 

Jerusalem, capture of, by Pom- 
pey 

Jesus, ^y termed "seed of the 
woman" 

Jesus, why was his heel said to 
be bruised by Satan: 

Jesus, why did the band who ar- 
rested him carry lanterns 

Jesus, the Good Shepherd 

Jesus, why does the gospel com- 
mence with the genealogy of 

Jesus, why werie no commands 
given by him for writing the 
New Testament 

Jesus, why represented with a 
halo around his head 

Jesus, mother of, why espoused 
to Joseph 

Jesus, why did his mother visit 
Elizabeth 

Jesus, why was his birth first 
notified to the shepherds 

Jesus Christ, why so called 

Jesus, why were gold, frank- 
incense, and myrrh offered to 
him 

Jesus,' why is it usual to bow 
the head at the mention of his 
name 

Jesus, why did the name pass 
out of common use 

Jesus, why called a Nazarene 

Jesus, how did it happen that 
he was lost by his parents 

Jesus, his disputation with the 

doctors 

Jesus, why accompanied to Jeru- 
salem by his mother 

Jesus, why did he choose to re- 
side at Nazazreth for nearly 

thirty years 

Jesus, why, after the commence- 
ment of his ministry', did he 
reside so short a time at Naz- 
areth 

Jesus, why tempted by the Devil 

Jesus, why did he fast forty days 

and forty nights 



486 Jesus, why did he change water 

into wine at the marriage feast 

of Cana 747 

487 Jesus, why called the Lamb of 

490 God 748 

Jesus, why did the Holy Ghost 

243 descend upon him in the form 

of a dove 750 

Jesus, why did he receive bap- 

385 tism from St. John 754 

386 Jesus, his first sermon at Naz- 

areth 759 

387 Jesus, why represented as sitting 

when delivering his sermon on 

391 the mount 770 

148 Jesus, why did he forbid the 
practice of swearing **by the 

561 head," etc._ 773 

Jesus, why did he promise a re- 

51 ward to the bestower of a cup 

of cold water given in his 

53 name 775 

Jesus, why did he speak in par- 

103 ables 783 

369 Jesus, why called the Son of man 792 
Jesus, why did he choose sev- 

577 enty disciples 794 

Jesus, why did he say, "It is 

easier for a camel to pass 

615 through the eye of a needle," 

etc. 814 

638 Jesus, why did the woman touch 

the hem of his garment 860 

65 Jesus, why did he reprove the 
Jews for making observations 

662 on the weather 898 

Jesus, why were children brought 

670 to him ^ 887 

684 Jesus, why did he eat with the 

publicans and sinners 936 

Jesus, why did he appear to ap- 

689 prove of slavery 942 

Jesus, his entry into Jerusafem 979 
Jesus, why did he commend the 

696 conduct of Mary Magdalene 975 

Jesus, why transfigured 977 

697 Jesus, why did he ride into 

712 Jerusalem upon a colt 981 

Jesus, whv did he curse the bar- 

716 ren fig-tree 993 

Jesus, why did he say, "In my 

717 father's house are many man- 
sions" 995 

718 Jesus, why did he wash his dis- 

• ciples' feet 1012 

Jesus, why did he at last supper 
722 take the cup and give thanks 1015 

Jesus, why did he pray that the 
cup of his afflictions might 

pass from him - — 1033 

739 Jesus, why mocked by the sol- 

743 diers _._ - 1053 

Jesus, meekness of 1059 

745 Jesus, why sent to Herod^^— — 1061 



xs 



INDEX. 



Jesus, why crucified on Calvary 1070 

Jesus, why did he suffer death 
by crucifixion 107^ 

Jesus, why did he submit to un- 
usual degradations 1074 

Jesus, why placed between two 
robbers ^_ 1078 

Jesus, why was his death degrad- 
ing to the Jews 1080 

Jesus, why were his garments di- 
vided among the soldiers 1086 

Jesus, \thy did he promise the 
penitent thief that he should 
be that day in paradise 1088 

Jesus, why did he, before his 
death address his mother 1090 

Jesus, why was the veil of the 
temple rent at his death 1107 

Jesus, why did the graves open 
at his death 1109 

Jesus, portrait of, probably au- 
thentic 1138 

Jesus, why did he, after his res- 
urrection, appear to only a 
part of his disciples 1154 

Jesus, why will he reappear at 
the last day in a similar man- 
ner to his ascension 1158 

Jesus, why said to have been the 
first to rise from the dead 1311 

Jesus, "marks of the Lord" 1346 

Jesus, his second appearance 1369 

Jew, whence is the word derived 121 

Jews, fast-day of, in memory of 
the breaking of the tables of 
the law 176 

Jews, edict against Ahasuerus, 
how rendered innocuous 457 

Jews, mode of swearing among 
them 701 

Jews, why did they acquiesce in 
the change which constituted 
Judea a Roman province 714 

Jews, why have no dealings with 
the Samaritans 768 

Jews, hatred between them and 
the Samaritans 767 

Jews, why offended by the words 
of our Savior, ^'Destroy this 
temple," etc 812 

Jews, their object in the temp- 
tation of their tribute-money 908 

Jews, why was payment of the 
tribute-money odious to them 910 

Jewish salutation to guests 976 

Jews, why is it said that God 
had blinded their eyes 991 

Jews, why did they not them- 
selves put Jesus to death 1047 

Jewish shekel, representation of 1050 

Jews, why did they spit in our 
Lord's face 1054 

Jews, why did they offer Jesus 
vinegar mingled with gall 1092 



Jezebel, why did she vow venge- 
ance against Elijah ^ 401 

Jezebel, wife of Ahab, why was 
her blood licked up by dogs 415 

Joab, why was David displeased 
with him 347 

Job, who was he . 462 

Job, book of, history therein 
contained 4^)3 

Joel, the prophet, why sent 520 

Joel, the prophet, signification of 
his name 521 

John, why was his gospel writ- 
ten 589 

John, account of 599 

John, St., the evangelist, account 
of 588 

John, and his brother James, 
why called Boanerges 611 

John, why was an angel sent to 
announce his birth 646 

John, why did he reside from 
his childhood in the desert 7,24 

John, why reared as a Nazarite 726 

John, why represented as eating 
"locusts and wild honey" 728 

John, why dressed in a raiment 
of camel's hair, etc. 730 

John, year of his public appear- 
ance 731 

John and our Lord, why thirty 
years old at the commencement 
of their public career , 732 

John, why said to prepare the 
way of the Lord 733 

John, why did he declare him- 
self unworthy to unloose the 
latchet of Christ's shoes 736 

John, why declared to be less 
than the least in the kingdom 
of heaven 738 

John, the forerunner of Jesus, 
why called "the Baptist" 752 

John, why. did he hesitate to 
administer baptism to Jesus 755 

John, why did he omit any men- 
tion of his own name in his 
gospel 1126 

John, the three epistles of, why 
written 1406 

John, why does he call himself 
the elder 1410 

Jonah, the person and prophecies 
of, why interesting 526 

Jonah, his mission to Nineveh 528 

Jonah, his fight and its conse- 
quences 529 

Jonah, why swallowed by a great 
fish 530 

Jonah, why displeased that God 
should spare Nineveh 532 

Jonah, why did the gourd spring 
up so rapidly over his booth 533 

Jonathan, why was he friendly 



INDEX. 



XXI 



to David 309 

Jordan, memorial stones set up 227 
Jordan, why divided to form a 

passage for the Israelites 238 

Jordan, the river of, why so 

called 235 

Joseph, why hated by his breth 

ren 123 

Joseph, why did he have pro- 
phetic dreams 124 

Joseph, a type of Jesus Christ 125 
Joseph, why sold by his breth- 
ren ^____ -- 126 

Joseph, why cast into prison in 

Egypt 127 

Joseph, why released from prison 128 
Joseph interprets the dreams of 

his fellow-prisoners 129 

Joseph, foreknowledge of 131 

Joseph, why did he receive his 

brethren with harshness 132 

Joseph, why said to have en- 
slaved the Egyptians 133 

Joseph, why was he at first 
troubled at the maternal ap- 
pearance of Mary 665 

Joseph, why his occupation of 
carpenter was no disgrace to 

him 657 

Joseph and our Lord, why have 
serveral attempts been made to 
prove that they were gold- 
smiths and not carpenters. 658 

Joseph, why is it reasonable to 
conclude that he was a car- 
penter 659 

Joseph of Arimathea, account of 1113 
Joshua, book of, why so called 233 
Joshua, history of the book of 234 
Joshua, why did an angelic mes- 
senger appear to him 242 

Joshua, why did he command the 

sun to stand still 248 

Joshua, why directed to divide 
all the land on the west of 

Jordan 251 

Judah, kingdom of, why made 

war upon by Jeroboam 391 

Judas Iscariot, who was he 613 

Judas, peculiar office of 614 

Judas, why did he ask "Is it I" 1024 
Judas, why Satan is said to have 

entered his heart 1027 

Judas, despair of 1050 

Judas Iscariot, why did the 

apostles elect a successor to 1164 

Judea, Roman conquest of, in 
what way did it affect the Jew- 
ish worship 562 

Judea, its depressed state at the 

era of Christ's birth 680 

Judges, book of, why so called 252 

Judges, book of. who was the 
writer of it 253 



Judges, book of, why written 254 

Judith, history of 549 

Jude, St., account of 608 

Jude, St., representation of 612 

Jude. St., the epistle of, why 

written 1413 

Jude, St., account of some of his 

descendants 1414 

Justin Martyr, account of 1486 

Kings, books of, by whom written 354 
Kings, first and second books of, 

why so called 353 

Kings and Chronicles, books of, 
why several variations in them 
as to names, dates, and facts 421 
Knowledge, tree of, why so called 41 
Korah, Nathan, and Abiram, why 

they rebelled against Moses 214 

Korah, murmuring of the people 

after his death 217 

Lamb of God, representation of 550 

Lamentations, what are they 491 

Lamentations, how written 492 

Lanterns and torches, part of the 

equipment of soldiers 1038 

Laodiceans, the angel of the 

church of the 1442 

Laodicea, notice of 1443 

Lazarus, who was he 876 

Lazarus, why did the Jews at- 
tempt to kill him 878 

Lazarus the beggar, why de- 
scribed as in Abraham's bosom 932 
Lent, fast of, from what derived 746 
Leper, the, why "touched" by 

our Savior 869 

Leprosy, laws respecting the 

cure of 191 

Levi, tribe of 201 

Leviticus, third book of Moses, 

why so called 178 

Libertines, synagogue of the, 

meaning of the term 1297 

Life, the book of (page) 315 

Life, tree of, why so called 41 

Linen clothes, why particular 

mention is made of them 1133 

Lion, from which St. Paul was 

delivered 1382 

Lithostrotos, why so named 1048 

Lord's prayer, why given 871 

Lord's supper, why called a sac- 
rament 1018 

Lord's supper, why so called 1010 

Lot's wife, why turned into a pil- 
lar of salt 102 

Luke, St., account of 583 

Luke, why was his gosepl written 585 

Lydia, account of 1265 

Lystra, people of, why did they 
attempt to sacrifice to Saints 

and Baranbas 1251 

Lystra, people of, why did they 
stone Saints Paul and Barna- 



INDEX. 



bas 1253 Abram _•_ 91 

Maccabees, two books of 549 Melchizedek, why so often re- 
Magi, or wise men from the east, ferred to in Scripture 93 

why did they come to adore Melitans, or Maltese, why called 

our Savior 686 barbarians 1316 

Magi, how did they know the Memorial stones in Jordan, why 

star was "his" star 687 set up 227 

Magi, why represented as "enter- Messiah, why said to crush the 

ing the house to adore" him 688 head of the serpent 52 

Malachi, book of, why placed Micah, the prophet, at what pe- 

last among the canonical books 547 riod did he live 535 

Malachi. meaning of the name 548 Micah, prophecies of 536 

Mammon, riches why so called 960 Michal, why did she despise 

Man, why said to be created in David 334 

the "image of God"__— 33 Minstrels and people, why they 

Manger of Bethlehem, why shep- "made a noise" in the ruler's 

herds were found watching house at the death of his 

near ^_^____ 675 daughter 786 

Manna, why so called^ 167 Miraculous powers, why given 

Manna, why did it cease to fall 240 to the apostles by Jesus 824 

Manuscripts, what first written Miraculous walking upon the 

upon 13 water, why St. Peter failed 867 

Manuscripts, transcription of 620 Miraculous multiplication of 

Marah, encampment of the Is- loaves and fishes 862 

raelites, why so called 164 Miraculous walking upon the 

Marah, account of 165 water, by Jesus, why a cause 

Marcion, notice of (note, page) 323 of alarm to the disciples 865 

Mark, St., his history 578 Miraculous walking upon the 

Mark, why did he write his v/ater, why St. Peter desired 

gospel 579 to imitate Jesus 866 

Mark, gospel of, the language Mooking, common practice to- 

in which it was first written 580 wards the condemned in the 

Mark, why does he omit the east 1054 

commendatory expression of Money-changers in the Temple, 

our Lord in favor of St. Peter 581 account of 778 

Marriage ceremony, representa- Money in bags 134 

tion of 1 962 Mordecai, why did he refuse to 

Mary, the mother of Jesus, why bow to Haman . 444 

was she troubled at the an- Mordecai, what circumstance 

gelic message 652 turned the scale in his favor 454 

Mary, why was the angelic mes- Moses, a type of Jesus Christ 139 

sage to her called the "An- Moses, why did his mother ex- 

nunciation" 654 POse him in an ark of bull- 
Mary, why did she undergo the rushes 144 

rite of purification 694 Moses, why did he flee from 

Mary and Joseph, why did they Egypt 146 

leave Nazareth 666 Moses, appearance of God to 

Mary and Joseph, why obliged him in the burning bush 148 

to lodge in a stable 668 Moses, why did he return to 

Mary and Joseph, why did they Egypt . 149 

go to Bethlehem „ 671 Moses, rod of, why changed into 

Mary Magdalene, why so called 969 a serpent 150 

Mary Magdalene, account of___ 970 Moses, rod of _ 153 

Mary Magdalene, why did she Moses's rod, how the miracle 

pour ointment upon the head was counterfeited by the sooth- 

of our Savior 971 sayers _ 153 

Mary Magdalene, how she ap- Moses, why did he strike the 

proached the feet of Jesus__ 973 rock 168 

Matthew, St., account of 576 Moses, hands of. why held up 

Maithew, why called Levi by the by Aaron and Hur____ 169 

other evangelists 840 Moses, why did he remain forty 

Mediaeval transcriber, represen- days on the mount — 172 

tation of a 620 Moses, why did he break the 

Melchizedek, why did he bless tables of the law 175 



INDEX. 



Moses, why forbidden to enter 

the promised land 218 

Moses, his extraordinary famil- 
iarity with God 219 

Moses, burial place of, why con- 
cealed from human knowledge 229 

Moses, why had he no succes- 
sor, strictly speaking 231 

Moses, legislator of the Israel- 
ites 231 

Multitude, why is it remarked 
that "they were praying with- 
out" at the time of incense — 645 

Multitude, why did they carry 

palm branches 979 

Mustard-tree of Scripture, nature 
of 788 

Nadab and Abihu, why did they 

perish by fire 189 

Nahum, what was the object of 
his prophecy 537 

Nahum, time of his appearance 538 

Naman, cure of, by Elijah 413 

Napoleon the 1st, testimony of, 
to the success of Christianity 
as a system 1321 

Nathan, why sent to reprove 
David 337 

Navigation at the era of the 
apostles 1383 

Nazarites, what were the 210 

Nazarene, why was the term ooe 
of reproach 741 

Nebuchadnezzar, why deprived 
of his reason » 504 

Nehemiah, book of, why so called 432 

Nehemiah, account of 433 

Nicodemus, why he came to Je- 
sus by night 768 

Nicolaitanes, account of those 
heretics 1425 

Noah, why commanded to build 
the ark 63 

Noah, why directed to take with 
him into the ark couples of 
every species of animals found 
in that region 65 

Noah, why was he and his de- 
scendants prohibited the eating 
of blood 72 

Noah, commandments given by 

him to his children 87 

Noah, ark of, described 64 

Numbers, book of, why so called 180 

Nunc Dimittis, occasion of the 
anthem so called 698 

Obadiah, the prophet, account of 524 

Origen, account of 1470 

Paralytic, why pardoned before 
being cured 837 

Palestine, why so called 565 

Papyrus 13 

Papyrus, method of preparing 
the leaves for writing 622 



Parable, the "rich man," why 
not mentioned by name 931 

Parable of the ten talents 946 

Parable, "There was a certain 
householder" 949 

Parable of the vineyard 956 

Parable of "A certain man and 
his two sons" 956 

Parable of the unjust steward 958 

Parable of the ten virgins 961 

Paradise, why formed 37 

Paragraph (Ij) in the English 
Bible, why used 23 

Passover, why instituted 157 

Passover, how observed 158 

Patmos, the island of, its where- 
abouts 1421 

Patriarchs, why did they attain 
such extreme longevity 58 

Paul, St., biographical notice of 1207 

Paul, what were the character- 
istics of his personal appear- 
ance 1208 

Paul, why said to be a tent- 
maker '. 1210 

Paul, when Saul, why did he per- 
secute the Christians 1212 

Paul, how converted 1214 

Paul, how long did he remain in 

retirement after baptism 1217 

Paul and Barnabas, why did they, 
at Antioch, wait to be bidden 
before preaching to the people 1240 

Paul, his visit to Cyprus, why 
interesting 1236 

Paul, why was the name of Saul 
exchanged for it 1237 

Paul, why is his first sermon at 
Antioch especially remarkable 1245 

Paul and Barnabas, why did they 

depart from Antioch 1247 

Paul and Barnabas, why did they 
go to Lystra 1249 

Paul, why, when at Corinth, did 
he work as a tent-maker 1282 

Paul, why did he claim the priv- 
ileges of a Roman citizen 1298 

Paul, why brought several times 
before Felix 1303 

Paul, why sent to Rome 1315 

Paul, his epistle to the Romans, 
why written 1322 

Paul, his first epistle to the Cor- 
inthians, why written 1328 

Pavement of Praetorium, why re- 
markable 1049 

Peace, why was the long one 
mentioned in 1 Kings iv. 25 372 

Pentateuch, meaning of the term 25 

Pentecost, feast of, why so called 194 

Pentecost, why the Holy Ghost 
descended at that time 1172 

Pergamos, the angel of the 
church of 1433 



XXiV 



INDEX. 



Pergamos, account of 1434 

Persecutions, direction for con- 
duct under, given by Christ 836 

Persian marriage ceremony 962 

Peter, St., representation of 593 

Peter, account of 595 

Peter, why did he walk upon 

the water to Christ 866 

Peter, why did he begin to sink 867 
Peter, why was this name given 

to Simon— 899 

Peter, meaning of the word 900 

Peter, why told that he should 

stretch out his hands, etc 901 

Peter, why did he merit the re- 
buke from our Savior 903 

Peter, why did he object to our 

Lord's washing his feet 1013 

Peter, why did he deny Christ 1042 
Peter, why did he preach his first 

sermon 1178 

Peter and John, why did they 
continue for a time to practice 

the temple worship 1180 

Peter, why did he preach his sec- 
ond sermon 1186 

Peter and John, why were they 
imprisoned by the Jewish rul- 
ers 1187 

Peter and John, why is their 
boldness remarked by the 

evangelist John 1189 

Peter and John, why did they 

heal the lame man 1184 

Peter, why did he at the council 

of Jerusalem speak first 1257 

Peter, epistles of, why written 1404 
Pharaoh, why did he command 
all the male children of the 
Hebrews to be thrown into the 

Nile - 142 

Pharaoh, why did he refuse to 

let the Israelites depart 151 

Pharaoh, why did he at last per- 
mit the Israelites to depart — 155 
Pharisees, why were they called 

*'whited sepulchers" 798 

Pharisees, who were they 806 

Pharisees, why said to devour 

widows* houses -_ 820 

Pharisees, who were the chil- 
dren of . 856 

Pharisees and Scribes, why did 
they put difficult questions to 

our Lord—— 907 

Pharisee and Publican, object of 

the parable — 938 

Pharisee, why blamed for prais- 
ing himself 939 

Philadelphia, the angel of the 

church of, addressed _- 1440 

Philemon, epistle to, why writ- 
ten 1389 

Philip, St 601 



Philippi, causes of the persecu- 
tions at 1267 

Philippi, why did the magis- 
trates entreat the apostles to 

depart therefrom 1269 

Philippians, the epistle to, why 

written 1354 

Pilate, why did he deliver Jesus 

to be scourged . 1052 

Pilate, why did he condemn Je- 
sus to death 1060 

Pilate, why did he refuse to alter 

the title over the cross 1084 

Pilate, his fate and end 1121 

Pontius Pilate, who was he 103P 

Potters' field, why purchased 1050 

Prayer, the Lord's, why given 871 

Priests, choosing and anointing of 186 

Priests, mitres of 190 

Priests, why did they covenant 

with Judas to betray Jesus 1035 

Priest, vestments of the high 185 

Prisons, at the era of the apos- 
tles, nature of 1276 

Prophet, the disobedient, why * 

slain by a lion 389 

Prophets, accounts of 517 

Prophets, the later, note on their 

period 548 

Prophecy, gifts of, why no proof 
of the sanctity of their pos- 
sessors !_ 841 

Prophecy, the gift of .^ 990 

Prophesying, New Testament ap- 
plication of the term 1336 

Proselyte-making by the Jews, 

why objected to by our Lord 816 
Proselytes, why numerously pres- 
ent at the Feast of Pentecost 1176 
Proverbs, book of, why so named 471 
Proverbs, book of, why is its 
existence a strong evidence of 
the truth of revelation gen- 
erally 473 

Proverbs, book of, ancient and 

Oriental in its character 474 

Psalms, book of, why written 465 

Psalms, authorship of, why 

ascribed to David *467 

Psalms, Hebrew title for 468 

Psalms, why are some of them 
inscribed "of Asaph," "of He- 
man," etc 469 

Psalms, question of their author- 
ship 473 

Psalter, derivation of the word 466 
Ptolomeus Soter, king of Jerusa- 
lem, account of 548 

Publicans, why such objects of 

dislike to the "Jews 810 

Publicans, duties of, among the 

Jews 811 

Pugillanes, or writing tables* 
used by the Romans........ 627 



INDEX. XXV 



Purim, feast of, why instituted 459 therein 276 

Rahab, why did she harbor the Ruth, book of, why placed so 

spies sent by Joshua 236 prominently iri the Bible 274 

Rabbi, meaning of the word 808 Sabbatical year what was the ob- 

Rebekah, why chosen as the wife ject of it 250 

of Isaac 106 Sabbath-day, why did Jesus heal 

Receipt of Customs, nature of diseases upon it 850 

the place so called 772 Sabbath, why changed from the 

Red Sea, why divided 162 last to the first day of the 

Rehoboam, whv did the Israel- week . 1293 

ites revolt from him 382 Sackcloth, wearing of, its mean- 

Rehoboam, why did he not en- ing 490 

deavor to regain^ the allegiance Sacrament, derivation of the 

of the revolted tribes 384 term 1019 

Respite to the sinners before the Sacraments, number of 1019 

flood, why granted JO Sacrament, Protestant definition 

Resurrection, why did it occur of 1019 

on the first day of the week 1127 Sacrament, Roman Catholic defi- 

Revelation, note on the (page) 315 nition of 1019 

Revelation, book of, why written 1417 Sadducees, why generally op- 
Revelation, book of, why prolific posed to the preaching of the 

of interpretations 1419 Gospel 804 

Rhemish Testament, why so Sadducees, who were they 805 

called 21 Saint, the word to whom applied 

Riddles, partiality to, in the in the Bible 574 

east 263 Salating, methods of 418 

Roman general, representation of, Samaritan, the good, purpose of 

(page) 120 the parable____ 928 

Roman legionary, cut of 292 Samson, why raised up as a 

Roman power, what was the judge 258 

origin of it _— 553 Samson, why was his hair al- 

Roman empire, number of its lowed to grow 259 

subjects at the birth of Christ 555 Samson, why did he marry a 

Roman government, nature of — 557 Philistine woman 260 

Roman empire, what was its re- Samson, why did he propose a 

ligion at the birth of our Lord 559 riddle to the^ Philistines 262 

Roman law respecting punish- Samson, why did he set fire to 

ments 1057 the Philistines' corn 264 

Roman games, allusions to, by Samson, why delivered into the 

St. Paul 1338 hands of the Philistines. 266 

Roman military dresses and ac- Samson slays a thousand Philis- 

coutrements, why alluded to tines 267 

by St. Paul 1344 Samson, why did he carry away 

Roman standard (heathen) 549 the gates of Gaza 268 

Roman standard (Christian) Samson, what was his particular 

(page) 282 mission 271 

Roman shield 1345 Samuel, books of, why so called 277 

Roman sandal 1345 Samuel, books of, contents of 278 

Roman helmet 1345 Samuel, why called of God 279 

Roman swords 1346 Samuel, meaning of the word 280 

Romans, epistle to, why placed Samuel, entrusted with the Di- 

first among the canonical epis- vine message 282 

ties 1324 Samuel, why displaced at the re- 
Romans, epistle to, when written 1326 quest of the people for a king 289 
Rome, boundaries of the empire, Samuel, why did he mourn for 

when the Christian era com- Saul 299 

menced 55S Samuel, why did he proceed se- 

Romulus and Remus, founders of cretly to Bethlehem to anoint 

Rome 554 David 300 

Rubric, origin of the word 625 Samuel, why did the witch of 

Ruth, book of, why so called 272 Endor cry out when she stvw 

Ruth, book of, who was its him 319 

author 275 Sanhedrim, council of, what was 

Ruth, book of, history contained it 796 



XXVI 



INDEX. 



Sarai, why did she expel Hagar 
from her house 95 

Sarai, meaning of the name 99 

Sardis, the angel of the church 
of, addressed 1438 

Sardis, account of 1439 

Satan, why he is called the 
prince of the power of the air 1454 

Saul, why selected as the first 
king of Israel 291 

Saul, character of 292 

Saul, what was his first trans- 
gression 293 

Saul, what was his second trans- 
gression 297 

Saul, why was an evil spirit from 
the Lord said to have troubled 
him 301 

Saul, why was his jealousy first 
excited against David 305 

Saul, why did he consult the 
witch of Endor 318 

Saul, why did he commit suicide 321 

Saul, why was his body and 
those of his sons burnt .__ 322 

Saul, race of, why were seven 
men of them put to death by 
the Gibeonites 348 

Scapegoat, why sent into the wil- 
derness 193 

Sceva, why did his seven sons 
attempt to cast out devils in 
the name of Jesus 1287 

Scribes, who were they 800 

Scribes, why were they in gen- 
eral rebuked by our Lord 802 

Scriptures, why the name is ap- 
plied to the Old and New Tes- 
taments 4 

Scriptures, when did the term 
come into general use 5 

Scriptures, where preserved 12 

Scriptures, Latin version of, first 
printed 17 

Scriptures, authorized version of, 
persons engaged upon it, re- 
visal of 18 

Scriptures, authorized version 

of, why so called 18 

Scriptures, why divided into the 

"Old" and "New" Testament 8 

Scriptures, why an authorized 
version made 19 

Scriptures, why have so many 
commentaries upon them been 
considered necessary 628 

Seals, meaning of "the seven" 1446 

Septuagint, meaning of 3 

Septuagint, why so named 14 

Septuagint, why compiled 15 

Sepulcher, why a new one was 
proper for the reception of the 
body of Christ 1117 

Sepulcher, why a guard was set 
around it 1119 



Sermon, our Savior's first, at 
Nazareth 759 

Serpent, why was the brazen set 
up ^20 

Seventh day, why is God said to 
have rested on this day 35 

Seveii churches, the, why their 
heads or bishops were called 
angels 1423 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- 
nego, why thrown into a fiery 
furnace 501 

Sheba, why did the queen of, 

visit King Solomon 375 

Sheep, why the people or con- 
gregation are so designated 843 

Shem, genealogy of, why inter- 
esting 80 

Shewbread, why were tables for, 
set up in the tabernacle and 
afterwards in the temple 204 

Silver, the thirty pieces of 3050 

Simeon, what was the occasion of 
the song of 698 

Simeon, why described as waiting ' 

for the "consolation of Israel" 700 

Simon, surnamed Zelotes, his 
history 609 

Simon, St., representation of 615 

Sinai, Mount, why were the laws 
promulgated from 171 

Smyrna, the angel of the church 
of, addressed 431 

Solomon, why commanded by 
David to punish Joab and 
Shimei 360 

Solomon, why did he banish 
Abiathar 363 

Solomon, how did he become 
celebrated for wisdom 364 

Solomon, judgment of 367 

Solomon, why did he build the 
temple 368 

Solomon's temple, description of 369 

Solomon's temple, how long in 
building 374 

Solomon, why did he marry the 
daughter of Pharaoh 370 

Solomon, why did he write a "let- 
ter to Hiram, king of Tyre 373 

Solomon, why visited by the 
queen of Sheba 375 

Solomon, why did the Divine 
blessing depart from him_ 377 

Solomon, why is it to be believed 

that he died repentant 381 

Solomon, Song of, nature of the 
book so entitled 477 

Spirits, why did the evil enter 
the swine 852 

Spirits, whv were evil, forbidden 
to testify 854 

Stephen, St., why put to death 1205 

Stone, the white, symbolical 
meaning of (page) 316 



INDEX. 



Stoning to death 215, 906 

Supper, v*hy was an upper room 

selected for the last 1006 

Susanna, history of (III) 549 

Swearing, common practice 

among the Orientals 774 

Swine, cause of Hebrew aver- 
sion to _ 203 

Synagogue, why so called 429 

Synagogue worship, nature of, 

among the Jews 430 

Tabernacle, Jewish, why a gen- 
eral acquaintance with it is de- 
sirable 183 

Tabernacle of the wilderness, de- 
scription of 184 

Tabernacle, why was one tribe 

set apart for the use of 200 

Tabernacles, feast of, why insti- 
tuted 208 

Talent, value represented by 944 

Talents, the ten thousand 945 

Tallith, meaning of 431 

Temple, veneration of the Jews 

for it, instances thereof 813 

Temple, the second 433 

Tertullian, account of 1484 

Tertullianists, sect so called 1485 

Testament, Old, in what language 

first written 3 

Testament, Old, when first trans- 
lated 3 

Testament, Old, number of the 

books therein contained 9 

Testament, Old, why some of 
the books are called **can6n- 

ical" ^_ 10 

• Testament, Old, why some are 

termed "apocryphal" 10 

Testament, Old, by what means 
have they been handed down 

to us 12 

Testament, Old, date of the 
copies of the original Hebrew 

text 13 

Testament, Old, Septuagint ver- 
sion of, why so named- 14 

Testament, Old, translation of 15 

Testament, Old, interpreters of 15 
Testament, Old, copy of sent to 

Ptolemy Philadelphus 15 

Testaments, Old and New, divi- 
sion into chapters when first 

made 24 

Testament, New, number of the 

books therein contained 9 

Testament, New, writers, why is 
the prefix saint used in regard 

to them 573 

Testament, New, writings, how 

handed down to us 617 

Testament, New, MSS., what 
material were they generally 

written upon 621 

Thessalonians, the epistles to. 



why written 1362 

Thomas, St., account of 605 

Thomas, why was he incredulous 

of the resurrection of our Lord 114.S 

Thyatira, account of 1437 

Thyatira, the angel of the church 

of, addressed 1436 

Time, idea of, when commenced 30 
Timothy, why did he submit to 

circumcision 1261 

Timothy, account of 1374 

Timothy, the epistle to, why 

written 1376 

Timothy, martyrdom of 1378 

Titus, account of 1385 

Titus, epistle to, why written 1387 

Tobit, history of (I) 549 

Tombs of the prophets, why the 
Jews were blamed for building 

them 818 

Tongues of men, why confounded 78 
Towers in vineyards, why built 951 

Transfiguration, the 978 

Trinity, the holy, why is the tri- 
angle ufed as an emblem of 640 

Tree of life, why planted in the 

garden of Eden 40 

Tree of life, why so called 41 

Tychicus, account of 1295 

Vashti, why did she refuse to 

appear before Ahasuerus 440 

Vashti, why deposed by the king 441 
Vinegar offered to Christ upon 

the cross, why refused by him 1094 
Volumen, or MS. roll, represen- 
tation of 622 

Vulgate, why compiled 16 

Vulgate, why remarkable 17 

Vulgate, why so called 16 

Wave-oflFerings, what were the 206 

Weddings, Oriental customs at 955 

Wedding garments 954 

Widow of importunate, the par- 
able of 947 

Wine, why was new not to be 

put into old bottles 785 

WycliflFe's version of the Bible 

(page) 5 

Zaccheus, episode of, why re- 
lated 940 

Zaccheus, who was he 941 

Zacharias, the priest, why struck 

dumb 642 

Zacharias, why was it his lot to 
burn incense when he went 

into the temple 644 

Zacharias, why was his son to be 

called John __ 648 

Zarephath, widow of, why did 

Elijah dwell with her 396 

Zechariah's prophecy, what was 

the object of it 545 

name 542 

Zephaniah, account of __ 541 

Zephaniah, signification of thtt 



Origin of the Biblical Books. 



Knowledge of the Bible 



CHAPTER I. 

OF THE ORIGIN AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BIBLE 
AND ITS VARIOUS TRANSLATIONS. 

1 . Why is the Bible the most venerable as rvell as the 
most interesting of books? 

Because of its divinely-inspired authorship, and because 
it is a record of those deaUngs of God with His creatures 
which it concerns every human being to be well acquainted 
with. It is the revealed will of God, making known His 
love, law, and judgments. 

2. Wh}) is the Bible so named? 

From Biblia, a Greek word signifying **the books," or 
**the small books;" or from Biblos, **the book" it being 
THE BOOK by way of pre-eminence; containing the revela- 
tions made from God to man, the principles of the Chris- 
tian faith, and its rules of practice. 

3. The word Bible occurs in the preface to Ecclesiasticus, and in 2 
Timothy iv. 13, of the Septuagint version. Before the adoption of this 
name, the more usual terms in the Christian Church by which the sacred 
books were denominated were, "the Scripture," "the Scriptures," and 
"the Sacred Letters." 

The Bible consists of two parts — the Old and the New Testaments. 
The former was written in Hebrew, with the exception of the books of 
Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel, which are in Chaldaic; the latter in Greek. 
The Old Tetsament was translated into Greek at Alexandria, and in the 
monarchy of Ptolemy Philadelphus (B.C. 277). This version was called 
the Septuagint. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Meaning of their Titles. 



The whole Bible was rendered into the Saxon tongue about the year 
A.D. 940. Various later translations were made during the Tudor period. 
The authorized version was commenced in the reign of James I. (a.d. 
1604). 

4. Why is the term **HoLY ScRIPTURES" applied to 
the Old and Nen> Testaments? 

Because, as the word Bible signifies **the book," or 
*'book of books," the word Scripture, or writing, in this in- 
stance impHes that thesie are **the writings of all writings." 

5. The word Scripture is applied in 2 Peter i. 20, in Matthew xxii, 
29, Acts viii. 24, and the prefix Holy in 2 Timothy iii. 15, to all the 
sacred writings then collected. About A.D. 180, the term "Holy Scriptures" 
was used to include the Gospels. From the end of the 2nd and beginnini^ 
of the 3rd century, at which time a collection of the New Testament writ- 
ings was generally received, the term came into constant use, and was so 
applied to include all the books contained in the version of the Septuagint, 
as well as those of the Hebrew canon. 

6. What is the meaning of the term *' inspired,*' as 
applied to the sacred rvritings? 

It implies that the authors of the Biblical books were 
informed, either mediately or immediately, by the Spirit of 
God, of such matters as it was necessary they should write; 
or, in the apostalic words (2 Peter i. 21), **Holy men of 
God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 

7. The definition of the word inspiration given by Dr. Knapp is as 
follows: "It may be best defined, according to the representations of the 
Scriptures themselves, as an extraordinary Divine agency upon teachers 
while giving instruction, whether oral or written, by which they were 
taught what and how they should write and speak." 

A strong proof that the Scriptures have been divinely inspired is 
found in the declaration to that effect by the writers themselves. That 
these writers were delegated by Divine Providenc to a supernatural work, 
is shown by the thousands of miracles performed by them. The truth of 
these miracles is beyond doubt. All the igenuity of skeptics has failed 
to shake the evidence upon which their authenticity rests. 

8. Wh}) are the Scriptures divided into the Old and 
New Testaments ? 

In order to mark a distiction between the books held 
sacred by both Jews and Christians, and those received 
only by Jews. 

9. The Old Testament consists of thirty-nine books termed "canon- 
ical," and fourteen "apocryphal." The New Testament contains twenty- 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Their Ttransmission to us. 



seven books; viz., five historical, twenty-one hortatory, and one, the last, 
of a mixed hortatory and prophetical character. 

1 0. Wh^ are some of the books of the Old Testament 
called ''canonical while others are termed '* apocryphaV ? 

Because about the genuineness of the former there has 
never been any doubt in the universal Church; with regard 
to the latter, the word applied collectively to them signifies 
that the evidence about them is not so clear. The estima- 
tion in which the Church of England holds the books of the 
Old and New Testament, and those of the Apocrypha, 
may be gathered from her sixth Article. 

IL The word Canon, from the Greek kanon, means straight, or a 
straight rule. As applied to the present subject, it means the authoritative 
standard of religion and morals. Apocrypha signifies secret, hidden. The 
Church of England recommends the perusal of the latter as beneficial to 
faith and morals, although it doubts their full authority in determining 
questions of doctrine. 

12. By what means have the Scriptures of the Old 
Testament been handed down to us from the remote period 
of antiqult}) at which they were written? 

The sam_e Providence that directed their execution 
would, of course, watch over their transmission to us. It is 
probable that, as well as 
the law, the other sacred 
books were preserved in, 
or by, the ark of the cove- 
nant; and Josephus In- 
forms us that the law was 
among the spoils which 
graced the triumph of the 
Emperor Titus when he 
returned from the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem. 



13. Copies of the original 
Hebrew text have descended to 
our times in manuscripts writ- 
ten upon skins of animals, and papyrus, the earliest KNOWN material 
dating from the 12th century. USED FOR PORTABLE WRITINGS. 




KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Greek and Latin Versions. 



14. Wh]) Was the Septuagint version of the Old 
Testament so named ? 

Because it was said to have been the work of seventy 
translators. 

15. The tradition which was received by all the early fathers and by 
the rabbins was to this effect: — Ptolemy Philadelphus, king of Egypt, when 
forming a library at great expense, was advised by Demetrius Phalereus to 
apply to the Jewish high priest, Eleazar, for a copy of the book containing 
the Jewish laws. Having been a great friend and benefactor of the Jews, 
he had no difficulty in obtaining this. He then requested Eleazar to send 
him learned scribes, for the purpose of translating the books into Greek. 
Seventy-two interpreters were selected, and sent, six out of each tribe ol 
Israel. Having been despatched accordingly with a magnificent copy of the 
law, they were received and entertained by the king for several days with 
great respect and liberality. Demetrius led them to an island, where they 
lodged together. The translation was finished in seventy-two days, having 
been written down by Demetrius, piece by piece, as agreed upon after niu-*^ 
tual consultation. It was then publicly read by Demetrius to a number of 
Jews, whom he had summoned together. They approved of it. and impre- 
cations were uttered against any one who should presume to alter it. The 
Jews requested to take copies of it for their use, and it was carefully pre- 
served by command of the king. The interpreters were then sent home 
loaded with presents. 

16. What is the meaning of the Tvord Vulgate? 

It is derived from the Latin word vulgata, ''common," 
and is applied to the Latin version of the Scriptures made 
by St. Jerome, between the years 382 and 405 of our 
era, because it was intended for the common use of Chris- 
tians throughout ihe world. 

17. The olden Latin versions, which were very numerous, and some 
of them very imperfect, were superseded by this of St. Jerome. A ver- 
sion used authoritatively before is called the Old Vulgate. About two 
hundred years after the death of its author, the Vulgaie became almost 
universally admitted, although it received no official sanction until the 
Council of Trent. The Latin version is remarkable, also, as being the 
first book ever printed. The earliest printed editions are without date; 
the earliest dated editions bear that of 1462. 

18. IVh^ IS the "authorized'' version of the Scrip- 
tures so called? 

Because translated from the original tongues, and 
appointed to be read in churches, by special command or 
authorization of King James I., A. D. r611. 

19. This work originated with Dr. John Rainolds, of Corpus Christi 
College, Oxford. Forty-seven persons were engaged upon it. They met 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



First English Printed Bibles. 



in companies at different places, having their respective tasks assigned 
them. The whole was revised by twelve m\:n together, two having been 
chosen out of each of the six companies. Th(^ ultimatf; revision was made 
by Dr. Miles Smith and Dr. Bilson. The whole expense was defrayed by 
Barker, who had a patent for its publication. 



ENGLISH PRINTED BIBLES. 

Previously to the publication of the "authorized version," there had 
been : — 

I. WYCLIFFE'S VERSION. 

John Wycliffe was born at a village near Richmond, in Yorkshire, 
about the year 1324. In 1360 his name is first mentioned in connection 
with some controversies with the friars or regular clergy of that period. 
He graduated at Queen's College, Oxford; from thence he removed to 
Merton College. He assumed great austerity of life and demeanor, and 
held in his public sermons that the Pope, the higher clergy, and the 
priests were bound to imitate our Savior in poverty as well as in virtue. 
He established an order called "poor priests," who were clad like himself, 
refused to accept oiE any benefice, and itinerated with the permission or 
against the orders of the bishops. Wycliffe was protected by the Duke of 
Lancaster, ultimately accepted a benefice, and died while assisting at the 
mass offered by his curate on Innocent's Day, 1384. The author, although 
a man of zeal and of moderate learning, was ignorant of the Hebrew and 
Greek languages: consequently his Bible was only a rendering from the 
Latin Vulgate. There are indications in it of his having received the 
assistance of other hands. 



II. TYNDALE'S TRANSLATION. 

William Tyndale was born about 1477 at Hunt's Court, in the parish 
of Nibley, in Gloucestershire. He was sent to Oxford, whence he removed 
to Cambridge. Leaving that university he became tutor to Sir John Welch, 
of Little Sodbury, in his native country. He appears to have awakened 
fears among his friends on account of his advanced opinions in religious 
matters; and he fled first to London and thence to Saxony, where he is 
said to have met Luther. He next settled at Antwerp, where he executed 
his translation. He was strangled at the Castle of Villefort, near Brussels, 
at the instance of Henry VIII. The language of Tyndale's version, which 
is from the original tongues, is pure, appropriate, and perspicuous. It is 
an astonishing monument of the indomitable zeal, learning, and perse- 
verance of its author. 



III. COVERDALE'S VERSION. 

Miles Coverdale, Bishop of Exeter (a.d. 1551), was a native of York- 
shire, and born in 1487. He was educated in the house of the Augustin- 
ian Friars in Cambridge, under Prior Barnes. He became a monk, and in 
1514 was ordained a priest at Norwich. About 1531 Coverdale showed 
himself a Protestant by his conversation and sermons. He went abroad 
about this time, and probably assisted Tyndale in his translaiion. In 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



English Printed Bibles. 



1535 his own version appeared, with a dedication to Hei^ry VIIJ. The 
psalms in it are those now used in the Book of Common Prayer. Cover- 
dale was almoner to Queen Catherine Parr. On the accession of Mary. 
Coverdale was imprisoned, but afterwards released by her, and he wen: 
into exile to the Court of Denmark. He afterwards went to Geneva, 
where he assisted in preparing the ''Geneva translation." Coverdale re- 
turned from exile, but having imbibed the views of the Calvinists at 
Geneva, he was not allowed by his co-protestants at home to resume his 
bishopric. At his death he was rector of Saint Magnus, near London 
Bridge. 

This version is reckoned inferior to Tyndale's Bible. Its author was 
not skilfull in the original languages of the Scriptures, and translated from 
the German and Latin. Cromwell, Henry VIII. *s minister, was the chief 
instrument in introducing this version. 



IV. MATTHEW'S BIBLE 

Is another and revised edition of Tyndale's. Its first edition was produced 
in 1537; another edition was published in 1539. ^ 



V. TAVERNER'S BIBLE. 

Richard Taverner, the editor of this work, was a learned layman. His 
Bible was published in London, 1539, folio. Two other editions were 
published in quarto. It is not a new version, but a correction of 
Matthew's. 

VI. CRANMER'S BIBLE. 

Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, is too well known to 
need any further notice. The first great Bible, with a prologue by him, 
was published in 1540, folio. Three subsequent editions had this prelate's 
name affixed to the title-page. 



VII. GENEVA BIBLE 

Was the work of William Wittingham and some other Nonconformists. Ii 
appears to have been begun in 1558, and completed in 1560. This was 
the first English Bible printed with the Roman letter; previous editions 
had been in the Gothic or "black-letter." 



VIIL PARKER'S, OR THE BISHOP'S BIBLE. 

Archbishop Parker was a native of Norwich; he was born in 1504, 
and educated at Cambridge. Being intended for the Church he applied 
himself diligently to Biblical learning. He was selected by Wolsey as one 
of the professors of the new college which he intended to found at Oxford. 
Parker, however, declined the honor; he was preferred under Henry VHI. 
and Edward VI., but deprived by Mary. By Elizabeth he was made 
Archbishop of Canterbury. During the fifteen years that he held the 
primacy he promoted the Reformation to the best of his ability. He 
died in 1575. Parker's Bible was published in 1568, at London, in one 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



English Printed Bibles. 



folio volume: it was superintended by the Archbishop, the text beinji 
carefully revised after the originals by fifteen scholars, eight of whom were 
bishops. _ Different portions were assigned to different individuals, the 
initials of whose names are placed at the end of their several parts. It 
was not, as is generally supposed, undertaken at the r3yal command. The 
text of this translation is considered much better than that of any pre- 
ceding one. 

20. PF/ip are certain words in the authorized version 
of the English Bible printed in italics? 

To show that those particular words have been in- 
serted or interpolated to elucidate or improve the sense, and 
were not in the original text, whether Hebrew, Chaldaic, 
oi Greek. 

2 1 . Why is the Roman Catholic version of the Holy 
Scriptures called the **Douay Bible'' and the *'Rhemish 
Testament'* ? 

Because the former — a translation from the Latin Vul- 
gate — was first published by the English college at Douay, 
in Belgium (a. D. 1609), cuid the latter, also from the 
Latin Vulgate, was first made and issued from another 
English college at Rheims (a.D. 1582). 

22. These are the only versions used by the Catholic laity: they are 
very literal in their rendering, but not so elegant as the authorized version 
in use among Protestants. The Douay Bible and Rhemish Testament are 
accompanied by annotations of a very brief ■ character. 

23. Why is the mark ^, or paragraph, used at cer- 
tain distances in the authorized version of the English 
Bible? 

To denote that at that point of the psalm, chapter, or 
discourse, a new subject has commenced. 

24. This division into paragraphs was adopted for convenience sake 
by the translators of this version, who were also the authors of the 
headings to the chapters. The division into chapters of the Old and New 
Testaments assumed its present form about the middle of the 13th century, 
and is ascribed by some to Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury., 
It is hardly necessary to state that the prefaces or contents do not in any 
way partake of the sacred authoritative character of the text. 



8 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 4004.— The Five Books of Moses. 

CHAPTER II. 

OF THE PENTATEUCH, OR FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES. 

25. Wh^ are the first five books of the Biblical col- 
lection called the Pentateuch? 

From the two Greek words, pente, **five," and teuchos, 
*'a volume,'* z. e., '*the five- fold volume," or ''instrument." 

26. An universal and most ancient tradition declares the Pentateuch 
to be the work of Moses, the first Divine lawgiver. Any attacks upon 
their authenticity have been met by the best and nriost solid answers; and 
when it is considered that the whole weight of evidence furnished by the 
existence, the history, and the institutions of the Jewish people rests 
upon their truth, nothing further in the way of proof appears necessary. * 

"The books of Moses, no monument, either historical or astronomical, 
has yet been able to prove false; but with them, on the contrary, agree, 
in the most remarkable manner, the results obtained by the most learned 
philosophers and the profoundest (geometricians." * 

27. Why is the first book of Moses called Genesis? 

Because that word, with which it commences, signifies 
"creation," **origin," "first;" implying that this portion of 
the sacred writings contains an account of the origin or crea- 
tion of the world and its inhabitance. 

28. It was customary with the Hebrews to designate any portions of 
their sacred literature by the first word contained in them. The com- 
mencing word of Genesis in the Hebrew is Bereshith, "in the beginning." 
In the Hebrew Bible, the first book of Moses has no title. Its present 
one was prefixed to it by those who translated it into Greek. 

Genesis contains, besides the account of the creation and apostasy of 
man, a history of the deluge and of the first patriarchs, to the death of 
Joseph. 

29. Why does the Bible commence with these words, 
''In the beginning?** 

Because, although the formation out of nothing of this 
earth, with its inhabitants, may not have been the first crea- 
tive act of the Diety, it was so as far as man is concerned. 
The idea of Time commences only at this point. 

30. The original cause of all things must be God, who in a moment 
spoke, and heaven and earth were made; heaven with all the angels, and 



* Balbi, Atlas Ethnographique du Globe. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 9 

B.C. 4004.— The Creation. 

fhe whole mass of the elements, in a state of confusion and blended to- 
gether, out of which the beautiful order, which was afterwards so admir- 
able, arose in the space of six days. 

31. Wh^ Was the earth said to he created in six da^s? 

It is generally admitted that the term **day" here has 
a figurative meaning; and the phrase **six days" may be 
understood to indicate the order and progress of creation, 
lather than the time it occupied. 

32. Because we learn from various parts of the sacred writings, as 
well as from analogy, that time was not a necessary ingredient in the 
work of creation. "He spake, and they were made; He commanded, and 
they were brought forth;" and similar phrases, express the fact that, with 
the act of will on the part of the Creator, His works at once started into 
being. Indeed, strictly speaking, the very notion of growth or progression 
seems repugnant to that of creation. 

33. IVh]) Was man said to be created in the image and 
likeness of God? 

Because he is endued with the power of understanding 
and choice, which the lower creation have not. 

34. This image is rather to be found in the soul than the body of 
man, although, from Christ's assuming human nature, we may assert that 
man bears a resemblance to God both in soul and body. 

35. Wh}^ is God said to have rested the seventh day? 
Because He then ceased to make any new kind of 
things. 

36. St. Paul says that what happened beforehand happened by way of 
figure; and the particular mention here made of the seventh day as one 
of rest, and of its sanctification, was no doubt intended to foreshow the 
institution of a sabbatical or weekly rest from labor. (See Exod. xx. 8.) 

37. Wh}) rvas the Garden of Eden or Paradise 
formed ? 

In order that man, as the chief tenant, or rather as the 
lord of the newly-formed world, might be provided with a 
dwelling suitable to his wants, and replete with every charm 
and convenience. 

38. Why Tvas the Garden of Eden so called? 
From the Hebrew word signifying pleasure. 

39. It is not decided whether this is the name of a particular spot 
or of a tract of country. A difficulty of ascertaining its whereabouts would 
necessarily result from the general disruption of the earth's surface at the 
universal flood; so that oar not finding its sit« at present is in no way 
remarkable. 



10 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 4004.— Adam and Eve formed. 

40. Wh^ were the trees "of life" and '*of the knowl- 
edge of good and evz7" planted in the midst of Eden? 

Because, being invested with the power and dignity of 
free will, God wished to give Adam the means of testing 
his obedience to the Divine behests. 

41. Hence the one only precept given to man in Paradise: "Of every 
tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge 
of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest 
thereof thou shalt surely die." 

The tree of life was so called because it had that quality, that by 
eating of the fruit of it, man would have been preserved in a constant state 
of health, vigor, and strength, and would not have died at all. 

The tree of knowledge could not communicate any real wisdom lo 
man; but, by eating of its forbidden fruit, he dearly purchased the knowl- 
edge of evil, to which before he was a stranger. 

42. V/h^ was the first man named Adam? 

From Adamah, a Hebrew word signifying red earth, 
or dust from the ground. 

43. Under the simple archaic phrase, "dust from the ground," is fairly 
to be understood a truth which is verified by the analysis of modern 
chemistry. The human body, submitted to this test, proves to be a com- 
bination of carbon, hydrogen, lime, and, in fact, of all those materials of 
which the dust of the earth itself is composed. 

44. Wh^ did Cod set Adam to name the animals? 
That he might, by an attentive survey of the lower 

creation, experience their utter inadequacy to his wants as 
companions or associates, and thus be led to desire the m- 
tended gift of Eve as "a help meet for him." 

45. Why is the formation of Eve out of a rib of 
Adam to he taken literall})? 

Because such an interpretation is the most reasonable 
and consistent. Adam having been formed immediately 
from the dust of the earth. Eve was taken mediately from 
the same source, by being formed from the substance of her 
husband. 

46. Why did our first parents eat of the forbidden 
fruit? 

The lamentable answer to this portentous question is 
only to be found in the fact, that preferring the grati- 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



11 



B.C. 4004.— The Fall of Man. 




fication of their curiosity and appetite, to the observance of 
the Divine prohibition, they chose of their own free will 
to do so. 

47. What is the mean- 
ing of the phrase, ''and the 
ey^es of both were opened, and 
the^ knew that they were 
naked,*' etc? 

It means that they be- 
came conscious of offence, or 
of a breach of the Divine 
commandment, and from that 
consciousness sought to con- 
ceal themselves. 

48. The text savs, "they sewed 
together fig-leaves, and made them- 
selves aprons." But the word trans- 
lated sewed, rather implies twisted; 
and the fact probably was, that our 
first parents took the tender branches 
of the fig (teenah) tree and twined 
them together much in the way that 
the aborigines of some countries do 
at the present time. 

49. What followed the eating of the forbidden fruit? 
A curse was pronounced upon Adam and his posterity, 

upon the earth for his sake, and in particular upon the ser- 
pent, which had been the instrument used by Satan in the 
temptation of man. Adam and Eve were expelled from 
the garden of Paradise, and doomed to wander upon the 
earth, and to earn their bread by the sweat of their brow. 

50. What promise was made to our first parents after 
their expulsion from the Garden of Eden? 

It was promised that a future deliverer should be 
raised up — the Messiah — called the seed of the woman, 
who should **bruise the head of the serpent," while the 
latter should have power to **bruise his heel." 

5 1 . Why is the term ''seed of the woman' applied to 
Christ? 



FIG LEAVES (Gen. iii. 7.) 



12 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 4003.— Cain and Abel. 

Because, as regarded His human nature, He was the off- 
spring of a woman only, and not of any man — the mother 
of Jesus having been a pure virgin notwithstanding her 
maternity. 

52. Wh}) is the Messiah, or Christ, said to crush the 
head of the serpent (or Satan) ? 

Because by the head is symboHzed power, rule, or do- 
minion; the work of our Savior was tb diminish and ulti- 
mately destroy this power, and so crush the head of the 
serpent. 

53. Wh}) is Christ's heel said to he bruised h^ Satan? 
Because, as the heel is the lowest part of the body, it 

represents the human nature of Jesus, which his eternal Father 
permitted to be bruised in the sufferings and death he under- 
went upon the cross. 

54. IVh^ did Cain, the first-horn of Adam and Eve, 
kill his brother Abel? 

From a motive of envy or jealousy of his brother's 
acceptance with God. 

55. It is probable that the Divine favor was exhibited towards Abel 
by some manifest sign, as by sending fire from heaven to consume the 
sacrifice. There can be no doubt that this was the result of Abel's merit, 
as he is by Jesus Christ himself denominated "the righteous" (Matt, 
xxiii. 35). The sacrifices of tlfe brothers appear to have been equal in 
all other respects. Cain, as a husbandman, brought of the first-fruits of 
the field; Abel, as a shepherd, offered the firstlings of his flock. The 
important difference was in the dispositions with which the sacrifices 
were offered. 

56. Wh]) "Was a mark set upon Cain? 

The text says, "Lest any man finding him should kill 
him;** from which we may infer that the apt of murder com- 
mitted against his brother, must have stamped such an indel- 
ible impression of horror or aversion upon Cain as might 
induce his fellow-men, upon meeting him, to seek his death. 

57. What this preventive mark was, is not said. The reader is left 
to form his own conjecture. 

Cain is said, after the birth of Enoch, to have built a city. The 
descendants of Adam were then already numerous enough to require the 
use of one. From which it is clear that a great many transactions took 
place about this period which are not recorded in the sacred volume. 
This leads at once to the observation that the Bible is not a history of 
the world. It gives an account of the origin of the world, and of the 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 1 3 

B.C. 3875,— The Term of Human Life Shortened. 

creation and fall of man; after this it confines its records to those of one 
family or nation only, namely, the seed of Abraham, in whom all the 
tribes of the earth should be blessed. 

This is made clear by the contents of the fifth chapter of Genesis, 
which is a genealogy of the patriarchs from Adam to Noah. The fourth 
verse says — "And the days of Adam, after he begot Seth, were eight 
hundred years; and he begat sons and daughters." Yet nothing is re- 
corded of these, not even their names. 

58. Why did the first patriarchs attain such extreme 
longevity ? 

Because it was of the first necessity that the world should 
be filled and replenished by their offspring; and by such a 
length of days the Divine traditions were enabled to be the 
better handed down to their descendants. 

59. Why Tvas Enoch translated? 

Because- of his distinguished sanctity, the term used in 
the text, **walked with God," implying that he lived in con- 
tinued recollection of, or meditation on, the presence of God. 

60. The phrase, "he was not, for God took him," might be supposed 
to mean merely that he was removed prematurely from the earth by a 
sudden death; but St. Paul (Heb. xi. 5) says distinctly that Enoch was 
translated that he should not see death. 

61. Why was the term of human life norv shortened? 

Because of the degeneracy of the human race, the ma- 
jority of whom had departed from the primitive faith and 
worship. 

62. Why is Cod said to have repented that He had 
made man? 

God, who is unchangeable, is not capable of repentance, 
grief, or other passion. But these expressions are used to 
declare the enormity of the sins of men, which was so pro- 
voking as to determine their Creator to destroy these His 
creatures, whom before He had so much favored. 

63. Why was Noah commanded to build the ark? 
Because the iniquity of mankind had determined God 

to sweep them from the face of the earth; Noah and his 
family, alone, with two of every kind of animals, being 
reserved alive in the ark. 

64. The ark of Noah was a house made capable of floating — not a 
ship, as has been frequently supposed, and as frequently represented in 



14 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 2469.— Noah Enters the Ark. 



pictures. It was intended to repose idly upon the waters of the flood, 
not lor sailing or for progression. The Scripture account says merely, 
"Make thee an ark of gopher-wood: rooms shalt thou make in the ark, 
and thou shalt pitch it within and without." The length, "300 cubits;" 
the breadth, "50 cubits;" the height, "30 cubits;" the door at the side, 
and the window in the roof, include all the particulars given. 

65. Why was Noah directed to take with him into the 
ark couples of every species of animals found in that region? 

Because such a course was necessary to their preser- 
vation ahve, and that upon the subsidence of the waters they 
might be ready for the use or delectation of Noah and his 
family. 

66. The difficulty of providing in the ark for the care and subsist- 
ence of a pair of every species of animal vanished when we consider, 
with the best commentators, that only such animals were included as were 
to be found in the parts of Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe, which then 
comprehended' the world. The whole world had not been peopled — prob- 
ably not one twentieth part of it; and it is reasonable to suppose that 
'he flood extended only to such a portion as was inhabited. This con- 
sideration would reduce the animals to be preserved in the ark of Noah 
to a comparatively small number. 

67. Why is the fact of the universal deluge to he re- 
ceived apart from the Divine sanction of the Biblical nar- 
rative? 

Because, the tradition of a deluge, by which the race of 
man was swept from the face of the earth, has been found 
in all nations, civilized or uncivilized. 

68. On this point the historical and mythological testimonies are very 
clear and conclusive. They are to be met with among the Egyptians, 
Phoenicians Chaldeans, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Goths, 
Druids, Chinese, Hindoos, Burmese, Mexicans, Peruvians, Brazilians, 
the inhabitants of New Caledonia, and the islands of the Pacific; and 
among most of them the belief has prevailed that a certain family was 
preserved in an ark, ship, boat, or raft, to replenish the desolated eartn 
with inhabitants. Corroborative evidence is also met with on coins and 
monuments of stone. Of the latter are the sculptures of Egypt and of 
India, and the "kistvaen" of the Druids. 

69. Why did the ark occupy so many years in 
building? 

That the people might benefit by the continual warning 
afforded by its gradual erection, and the preaching of Noah. 

70. God mercifully aflForded a respite of one hundred and twenty 
years between the first announcement and the fulfilment of His threat of 
the universal flood, during which Noah sought to work salutary impres- 
sions upon his neighbors and the unbelieving world, and to bring them 
to repentance. Thus he was a "preacher of righteousness" (Heb. xi. 7), 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 15 

B.C. 2469.— The Tower of Babel. 



exercising faith in the testimony of God, moved with holy reverence and 
fear, and by the contrast of his conduct condemning the world. 

7 1 . Why is the ark considered to he a figure of Bap- 
tism ? 

Because it is stated to be so by the Apostle St. Peter, 
thus: '*By which also he went and preached unto the spirits 
in prison, which sometimes were disobedient. When once 
the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, 
while the ark was preparing, within few, that is, eight souls, 
were saved by water. The like figure whereunto baptism 
doth also now save us." (I. Peter iii. 19—21.) 

72. Why were Noah and his descendants prohibited 
the eating of blood? 

Because blood represented life; this was a preliminary 
to the regular establishment of the Jewish law. 

73. Why is the mention of Asshur (Gen. x. 11) 
especially interesting? 

Because the monuments and sculptures attributed to that 
person or his dynasty being in our possession,* we are en- 
abled to form some idea of the appearance and characteris- 
tics of the people of those remote ages. 

74. . Why rvas the Tower of Babel built? 

Gen. 1 1 and 1 2 chs. mark a turning point in Divine 
dealing; heretofore the history has been that of the whole 
Adamic race. The kingdom of Nimrod has become pow- 
erful; hence to preserve unity among the people and to 
keep them from being scattered the Tower of Babel was 
designed and partially built. 

75. It appears that the primitive fathers of mankind having, from 
the time of the deluge, wandered without fixed abode, settled at length 
in the land of Shinar, where they took up a permanent residence. As 
yet they had remained together without experiencing any inconvenience, 
and were all of one language. Finding suitable materials, they proceeded 
to the construction of brick buildings, using the bitumen abounding there- 
about for mortar. A city was built, and the tower mentioned in the 
text. A Divine interference now takes place. The language of the 
builders is confounded, so that they are no longer able to understand each 
other; they therefore leave off to build the city, and are scattered abroad 
upon the face of all the earth. 

* At the British Museum, see Assyrian Rooms. 



16 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 2233.— The Confusion of Tongues. 

76. Wh}) rvas the place called Babel? 

From the Hebrew word BabeU confusion. Josephus, 
quoting the **Sibyl," says: **When all men were of one 
language, some of them built a high tower as if they would 
thereby ascend up to heaven; but the gods sent storms of 
wind and overthrew the tower, and gave every one his pecu- 
liar language; and for this reason it was that the city was 
called Babylon." 

77. That the tower was subsequently completed is certain from the 
best historical evidences. 

78. Wh^ were the tongues of men confounded ? 
Because it was the intention of Divine Providence that 

the people should scatter or distribute themselves over the 
whole renovated earth. 

79. This confusion of tongues is one of the greatest miracles recorded 
in the Old Testament: men forgot in a moment the language which they 
bad hitherto spoken, and found themselves enabled to speak another, 
known only to a few of the same family, for we must not suppose that 
there were as many new languages as there were men at Babel. The 
precise number of original languages then heard for the first time cannot 
be determined. The Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Teutonic, Sclavonian, Tar- 
tarian, and Chinese languages are considered to be original, the rest 
are only dialects from them. 

80. Why is the account of the dispersion of the people 
followed fcp the genealogy of Shem? 

Because he was the ancestor of the chosen people of the 
Jews, and hence the genealogy was of great importance. 

8L Atfer the confusion of their language, the various families were 
forced to move forward, and to seek settlements over different parts of 
the world. At this early period of the world, kingdoms, properly so- 
called, did not exist; the people lived more like the present Tartar or 
Mongol tribes of northern Asia, than like the states and cities of Europe; 
and the authority of the patriarch and other old men of the tribe was 
sufficient for the maintenance of order. 

Nimrod, of whom the Scripture says that "he was a mighty hunter 
before the Lord," was the first to attempt to found a dominion by force. 
He was of the doomed fan^ily of Ham, and settled on the Euphrates, 
where he built the cities of Babel or Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh. 
Asshur, of the family of Shem, settled on the Tigris, and built Nineveh, 
which was afterwards the center of the Assyrian empire, and which 
is subsequently so often mentioned in the Biblical history. Elam, the 
second son of Shem, settled to the east, and from him came the Medes 
and Persians, who formed the second of the four great empires of Daniel's 
dream. The kingdom of Nimrod did not last long, for Noah had foretold 
that Ham should be a servant of his brethren; and after several wars his 
race was expelled by the Assyrians of Nineveh, and forced to settle at 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 1 7 



B.C. 192L— Origin of Idolatry 



a distance, probably in Arabia. Of these early times, however, very little 
is known from any source, except the short notices contained in the 
Bible. The wars in the time of Abraham appear to have been between 
the rival families of Shem and Ham. 

82. Why Tvas Abram called to depart from his coun- 
try and kindred? 

Because ( 1 ) a trial of his obedience was required, and 
(2) that he might take possession of the land (Canaan) 
which was to be the inheritance of the people of Israel, his 
seed, and the scene of those stupendous events upon which 
the whole Bible history hinges. 

83. Abram was a native of Chaldea, and descended through Heber 
(the patriarch from whose name the term Hebrew is derived) in the ninth 
generation from Noah. His father was Terah, who had two other sons, 
Nahor and Haran. The latter died before his father Terah, leaving a 
son, Lot, and two daughters, Milcah and Iscah. Lot attached himself to 
Abram, his uncle. Milcah became the wife of Nahor (her uncle), and 
Iscah, who was also called Sarai, married Abram. 

His first migration was from Ur, of the Chaldees, to Charran. After 
dwelling at the latter place for several years, his second migration is 
ordered, and he departs with Sarai, Lot and their households, to Canaan, 
resting at Sichem. From thence he removed to the east of Bethel, then 
proceeding further south, and at length, on account of the famine, going 
down into Egypt. 

84. Why did not Abram during the famine return to 
his friends? 

Because it was the purpose of Divine Providence to 
isolate him from them. 

85. The Jewish traditions represent Abram's father and uncle as 
absorbed in the idolatrous practices of the time, and this may have been 
one reason of his departure southward. 

86. Why did men irtvent such a multiplicity of false 
gods? 

Because, losing by degrees the true tradition and be- 
coming corrupted, they fell back upon their imaginations 
and fancies to supply its place, 

87. Tradition says, that Noah gave his children seven commandments, 
which were the foundations of the notions of right and wrong that are com- 
mon to all people. From him all the nations carried away with them into 
their diflferent settlements the belief in a future Messiah from the family 
of Shem, the knowledge of God and of His future day of judgment; as 
also of the duty of prayer, and of observing the Sabbath with sacrifices. 
Such was the simple and plain religion which Noah, whom St. Paul calls 
8 preacher of righteousness, taught to his sons; and this is what would 



8 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE, 



B.C. 1920.— Abram in Egypt. 



have continued in the world if the nations had preserved uncorrupted 
what they received from the patriarch. Instead, however, of continuing 
to worship the God of heaven, the pure Spirit who cannot be seen, 
they began to seek objects of worship which were visible; and thus 
they were led to make images which after a time came to be regarded 
as gods. Of these visible objects of worship, the first were the Sun, the 
Moon, and Fire as an element. Next they 
took the image which had been set up in 
honor of some king or statesman, and be- 
gan to pay it divine honors. An example 
of this is seen in the figures of Nimrod 
preserved in the British Museum. From 
the custom of embalming the dead, and 
preserving them in places where the sur- 
viving members -of the family could visit 
them from time to time, they came to 
offer sacrifices to deceased members of 
their own families and to look upon them 
as gods. In all this the great enemy 
of ^nankind was engaged, as we read in 
the New Testament epistles. 

The progress of this idolatry is 
shown in the annexed drawings. Fig. 1 
is an Egyptian mummy, or the embalmed 
body of some member of an Egyptian 
family. Figs. 2, 3, are from the sculp- 
tures upon Egyptian monuments, represent- 
ing the gods as they were publicly wor- 
shiped. They show how the figure of 
the embalmed corpse became the pattern 
which the workmen who made the idols 
for the use of the temples took for their 
model. Figs. 4 to 7 show the further 
progress of corruption, by borrowing from 
the brute creation, and by degrading the 
representation of God to the point of 
placing the heads of brute creatures upon 
a human shape; and lastly, Fig. 8 shows 
how, in the end, they came to the form of a complete four-footed beast. 

This latter was the God Apis, held in the utmost veneration in 
Egypt. It was from this idol, or rather living animal — for the living animal 
was worshiped — that the Israelites in the wilderness took the idea of 
requiring Aaron to make for them the image of the golden calf. St. 
Paul says (Rom. i. 21), "When they knew God they glorified him not 
as God, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image 
made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and 
creeping things." 

88. Why did Abram, when in Eg})pt, pretend thai his 
wife Sarai was his sister only? 

Because her great beauty might have tempted the Egyp- 
tains to kill Abram in order to obtain possession of her 
person. 

89. Calling Sarai his sister left him without risk with the Egyptians. 
The fame of her charms appears soon to have reached the king's ears, 
who sent for her, and Abram was used well for her sake. But God 




NIMROD, OR NIMROUD. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 1920.— Progress of Idolatry-. 




Fig. 1. 




Fig. 2. 




Fig. 3. 




Fig. 7. 



Fig. 8. 



20 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 1920.~Hagar and Ishmael. 



vindicated the honor of his servants by plaguing Pharaoh, who very 
soon dismissed Abram and Sarai, loading them with presents and hurry- 
ing them away. 

It may be thought strange that a miraculous interference should have 
been necessary to convince Abimelech of his criminality in retaining the 
wife of Abram; and equally strange that Abram could not procure Sarai's 
release by proper application and request. But such thoughts arise only 
from ignorance of the customs of the East. Whenever a woman is taken 
into the harem of an Oriental prince with the design of making her his 
wife, she is secluded without a probability of egress — at least during 
the life of the prince on the throne. Nor is communication with women 
in the harem in ordinary cases to be obtained. This view places the 
interference of Providence, on behalf of Abram, in the strongest light,-^ 
and offers some excuse for the culpable dissimulation of the patriarch, 
and later of Isaac under similar circumstances (Gen. xxvii. 7). The life 
of a husband, it may be easily understood, had but a small chance of 
being preserved when it stood in the way of despotic indulgence. 

90. Whither did Abram go? 

He returned to his former residence between Bethel 
and Hai. 

91 . Wh}^ Tvas Abram blessed fep Melchizedek^ 
Because of the great services rendered to his neighbors 

by his conquest of the four kings. 

92. That part of Canaan had been subjugated by the Assyrian 
monarchy. The four kings, Chedorlaomer and his confederates, appear 
to have been viceroys, or governors, of the conquered cities of the plain 
— Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim. The kings of these cities, 
after a^ submission of twelve years, made an effort to throw off their 
yoke; it was in this endeavor that they were defeated, and Lot was 
taken prisoner. Abram, collecting his family and dependents rushed to 
the rescue, and, doubtless aided by the Divine blessing, defeated the 
Assyrians. It was upon his return from this victory that the blessing of 
Melchizedek was conferred. 

93. Wh"^ is the name of Melchizedek so often referred 
to in Scripture? 

Because he was, Hke others of the patriarchs and 
prophets, a type of the promised Messiah. 

94. Wh^ did Abram take Hagar to rvife? 

At the suggestion of Sarai, who despaired of becoming 
a mother. 

95. Wh^ was Hagar afterwards expelled from her 
house by Sarai? 

Because, growing proud of her position as the mother 
of Abram's son, she despised her mistress. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 21 

B.C. 1871. — Abraham Offers up Isaac. 

96. Wb^ did Hagar call her child Ishmael? 
Because she wished to commemorate by that name the 

answer to her prayer, the word Ishmael signifying **God 
hears." 

97. Wh}) Tpas the rite of circumcision instituted? 

In order to mark by an outward sign the covenant made 
with God by Abram, whose name was now changed to 
Abraham. 

98. Wh]) Tvas the name of this patriarch changed? 

It was a part of the symboHzation which marked the 
renewal at this time of God's promises to Abraham. 

99. Abram, in the Hebrew, signifies a "high father," but Abraham, 
the "father of a multitude." The reason for the change is also given in 
the text (Gen. xvli. 5), **For a father of many nations have I made thee." 

Sarai's name was also changed to Sarah; the first meant simply 
"lady," the second, "a great lady or princess." 

100. Wh}) did the three angels appear to Abraham? 
Because it was necessary by such a mark of Divine fa- 
vor to strengthen his faith in the promise of an heir. 

101. Wh\) were the cities of the plain destroy^ed? 
Because of the great wickedness of their inhabitants, 

which seems to have exceeded that of all other nations, be- 
fore or since. 

102. Wh]) was Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt? 
As a terrible mark of the anger of God towards the 

devoted cities, a momentary sympathy with whose inhabit- 
ants seems to have called down this signal punishment. God 
may have inflicted this temporal punishment on her, and 
saved her soul. 

103. Why was Abraham commanded to sacrifice his 
son Isaac? 

Because a further proof of his faith in the promises of 
God was required of him, and as a final test of his obedi- 
ence. 

104. The account of Abraham's offering, as contained in Gen. xxii., 
is perhaps the most truly affecting narrative in the whole sacred volume; 
it is almost impossible to read it without strong emotion. 



22 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 1856. — Esau and Jacob. 

105. Who was Rebekah? 

She was the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, the 
wife of Nahor,. Abraham's brother. 

106. Wh}) "Was she chosen as the wife of Isaac? 
Because of her kindred — Abraham wishing to avoid a 

marriage with the Canaanites on the part of his son. 

107. Who rvas Lahan? 

He was the brother of Rebekah. 

108. Wh^ was Esau so named? 

On account of the redness of his skin, the word Esau 
being rendered red, **or covered with hair." 

109. The name of Edom (red) was afterwards applied to him from 
the red pottage, for a mess of which, when fatigued and exhausted with 
hunting, Esau sold his birthright to his younger brother. 

1 1 0. Wh^ was the name of Jacob given to the younger 
son of Isaac? 

Because of the circumstances attending his birth, when 
he wrestled with his brother and sought to supplant him; the 
word signifying a wrestler, or "one who supplants." 

111. It would seem that the patriarchs were all more or less endued 
with the gift of prophecy, the names given to their offspring being gener- 
ally significant of the course of their after-life. In the case of Jacob 
this is especially remarkable, since his whole career was but a commentary 
upon the text which his name presents. He supplanted his brother in 
various ways, and wrestled not only with him, but with the Divine 
messenger or angel of God himself (Gen. xxxii. 24.)* 

1 12. Why did Jacob flee into Mesopotamia? 

Because, having obtained by fraud the blessing his 
father Isaac intended for Esau, he feared the effects of his 
brother's anger. 

113. What Were the circumstances under which Jacob 
married Rachel and Leah? 

Fleeing from the wrath of Esau, he came to the house of 
his uncle Laban the Syrian, the son of Bethuel. Here he 
first saw Rachel, Laban's younger and favorite daughter, 

♦ From the birth of these twins St. Gregory shows the folly of 
astrologers, who pretend that our actions are under the influence of the 
planets, and that two born at the same time will have the same fate. How 
difFeront were the lives of Jacob and Esau I 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 23 

B.C. 1739. — Jacob Wrestles with the Angel. 

and covenanted to serve him seven years for her sake. At 
the expiration of that period Laban deceived him by sub- 
stituting Leah for Rachel (Gen. xxix. 23) ; but the marri- 
age week being completed, Rachel is also given to Jacob, 
and he consents to serve Laban another seven years for her. 

114. It is still customary among Oriental nations to keep up the 
marriage festivities for seven days, during which time all the guests ere 
merr>' and joyful, and all care and anxiety are put aside. 

115. Why did Jacob remain six years longer with 
Laban ? 

Because the latter, who was a harsh and avaricious man, 
objected to his departure, consenting, however, to Jacob's 
proposal for a better remuneration. 

116. This proposal was, that Jacob should receive as his share all 
the spotted and speckled sheep and goats of the various flocks; but 
Laban. in accordance with his usual mode of procedure, at once set to 
work to avoid the bargain. He separated the white and black from the 
speckled portion of his flocks, and placed a three days' journey between 
them, so that no increase might be made in Jacob's portion. The 
patriarch, however, it would seem, by the Divine direction, took means 
to circumvent the knavery of Laban (Gen. xxix. 37), and with the 
most successful results: the speckled portion increasing exceedingly. 

1 1 7. Why did Jacob leave Laban s house clandestine- 

b? 

Because his former experience led him to believe that 
otherwise he would not be suffered to depart. 

118. Why did Jacob rvrestle with the angel? 

That he might learn, by this experience of the Divine 
favor, that neither Laban, Esau, nor any other man should 
have power to hurt him. 

119. Although the person with whom Jacob wrestled is in the text 
called a man, we learn from Hosea (xii. 4) that it was an angel in 
human shape. 

120. Why was Jacob's name, after his contest with the 
angeU changed to Israel? 

To mark his victorious character, the word Israel being 
compounded of Issor-al, a prince of God. 

121. Whence is the word **Jew'* derived? 
From Judah, the fourth son of Jacob by Leah. 



24 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 1730.— -Joseph Sold into Egypt. 



122. The names of the twelve sons of Jacoh, with their signification, 
ire: — 



Reuben, son of vision. 
Simeon, bearing. 
Levi, joined. 
Judah, praise. 
Dan,, judging. 
Naphtali, n^y wrestling. 



Gad, a troop. 

Asher, happy. 

Issachar, a hire or wages. 

Zeb'ilun, dwelling. 

Jofeph, adding. 

Benjamin, son of the right hand. 



123. Wh^ rvas Joseph hated fcj? his brethren? 
Because of the preference shown him by his father, who 

loved him as the child of his old age, but still more on 
account of his innocent and ingenuous character. 

124. Wh^ did Joseph dream prophetic dreams? 

Because it was the purpose of God to make him the in- 
strument of his will with regard to the preservation of the 
human race, and the ultimate destinies of the Jewish people. 

125. Joseph was undoubtedly a type of Jesus Christ, and his historv 
is to be regarded as foreshadowing the sufferings of the Messiah, and the 
glory that was to follow. 

126. Wh}) was Joseph sold h^ his brethren to the 
Ishmaelites ? 

Because they thought that thus they would more easily 
rid themselves of the presence of one whose life and conduct 
were a contrast and a reproach to their own. 

127. Wh^ was Joseph cast into prison in Egypt? 
Because, being transferred by the Ishmaelites to the 

service of Potiphar (an 
officer of the King of 
Egypt), and placed ty 
him over his household, 
refusing the wiqked so- 
licitations of his mistress, 
he was falsely accused 
by her of an attempt 
upon her chastity 

128. Why was Jo^ 
seph released from pris- 
on? 
Because, possessing the supernatural gift of the interp/e- 




EGYPTIAN cow (illustrative of Pharaoh's 
dream, Gen. xli.) 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE, 



25 



B.C. 1707. — Joseph and his Brethren. 



lation of dreams, he was called upon to resolve the meaning 
of one dreamed by Pharaoh, king of Egypt. 

129. He had previously interpreted those of the king's chief butler 
and chief baker, his fellow-prisoners. The striking fulfillment of their 
visions should have met with a better result for Joseph; but as with men 
in general, the fortunate court-officer, when restored to favor and pros- 
perity, forgot his friend Joseph, ^ "*^\\\l /^ 
who remained to suffer two years .=»^'^/',t lcsvc^<^ ;=6/ 
nore unmerited incarceration, when '^- 
he was sent for by Pharaoh. 

The dream of Pharaoh's chief 
baker is interesting in connection 
with the light thrown cpon its 
details by certain sculptures at 
present in the British Museum. 
That officer had forfeited in some 
way the royal favor : he was thrust 
into prison (with what justice or 
for how long a period we are not 
informed). While here he dreams 
a dream, which he relates to Jo- 
seph, his fellow-captive. Unhap- 
pily it presages that the State 
officer shall shortly suffer death. 
But we may glance at the circum- 
stance that while the unfortunate 
functionary was conveying upon 
his head prepared meats for 
Pharaoh, the birds of the air came 
and devoured a portion of them. 
The annexed illustration shows 

how readily this might have been Egyptian STEWARi- presenting meats. 
done, especially when it is con- 
sidered that many of the Egyptian halls were open to the sky. 

130. Wh"^ did the sons of Jacob go doTvn to Egypt? 
On account of the famine which overspread for seven 

years that part of the world. 

131. Joseph's fore-knowledge enabled him to provide for this, and 
Egypt became one vast granary, to which of necessity all the surrounding 
nations resorted. The famine came, but it found a prepared people. 
Joseph had been appointed viceroy or governor over all the land, and it 
is probable that he anticipated the visit of his brethren, and was pre- 
pared for it with a plan of action. 

I 32. Wh'^ did Joseph receive his brethren with harsh- 




ness .-• 



Because he wished to bring them to a sense of their 
former wickedness and to humble them. 



26 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE, 



B.C. 1707.— Jacob Goes Down to Egypt. 



1 33. Wh^ is Joseph said to have enslaved the Eg^pt- 



lans 



Because the famine was of such a grievous nature that, 
having parted with all their treasure to purchase corn from 
the royal granaries, the Egyptians had no alternative, in 
order to preserve life, but to part with their lands, and 
finally their liberties. 




MONEY IN BAGS. 



134. A Striking proof of the truth of the Mosaical narrative is to 
be found in the well-known fact, that the system inaugurated by Joseph 

on this occasion has remained in 
force through every subsequent age, 
and amid all the vicissitudes of the 
nation. There has never been any 
right of property in land down to 
the present day. The population 
which has cultivated it has always 
been the slave of the government, 
and has paid to government-ofhcers 
the portion of the year's produce, 
in pursuance of the agreement made 
originally between themselves and 
Joseph (Gen, xlvii). At the pres- 
ent day the Turkish pasha is the 

(From .he"EgyptlaT°Sculptures.) »-" f *" »»"• '"$ "l^^'t "Sf* 
V* I will •."w 67 K I- / p^Qpg ^Q bg grown he thinks fit; 

the people who cultivate the ground being serfs, living in villages under 
a head or sheik, and bound to pay, in the fixed proportion of the crop, 
to the collector appointed by the pasha. 

The whole circumstances are so interesting, from an historical 
point of view, that they are here repeated: — The famine increased in 
the land of Egypt, and the people of the land, during the first year, 
brought all their money to Joseph to buy food froni his granaries. The 
second year, when they had no money let, they came to Joseph saying, 
"Give us bread, for why should we die in thy presence? for the money 
faileth." Joseph said, "Give your cattle." They did this; and after- 
wards brought their flocks and herds. When these were gone they said, 
"We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; 
my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the 
sight of my lord, but our bodies and our lands. Wherefore shall we 
die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land 
for bread, and' we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh; and 
give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land be not desolate." 
So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt, every man selling his possessions, 
a portion for the sacerdotal order being alone reserved. 

135. Wh]f rvas Jacob rvith his famil}) located in the 
land of Goshen? 

Because the Hebrews, being shepherds, were despised 
by the Egyptians, and therefore Joseph, by placing his 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 27 

B.C. 1689. — The Bondage of the Jews in Egypt. 

brethren at some distance from the capital, removed the 
chances of a continual dissension. 

1 36. Wh}) did Jacob, in blessing the ttvo sons of Jo- 
seph, give the preference to the })ounger? 

Because, with the gift of prophecy, he distinguished in 
Ephraim, the younger, his superior dignity, as destined to 
give kings to the ten tribes, and as the ancestor of Joshua, 
who, as a figure of Christ, should introduce the Israelites 
into the promised land. 

137. The book of Genesis concludes with the account t)f the deaths 
of Jacob and Joseph — their embalmment, and their burial in coffins, after 
the manner of the Egyptians. The student of the Bible, and indeed of 
all ancient history, should not fail to visit those departments of the 
national collection in the British Museum which contain the Biblical 
antiquities. The Egyptian and the Assyrian rooms are full of the relics 
of that early period, and throw a wonderful light upon the records of the 
Pentateuch. 

1 38. Wh^ is the second bool^ of Moses called Exodus ? 

Because it contains an account of the going out of the 
children of Israel from the land of Egypt to that of promise; 
the term Exodus being taken from the Greek word Exodos, 
signifying an exit or going out. 

139. The Hebrews, according to their custom, call this book Veellb 
Semosh; the words with which it commences signifying these are the 
names. Its history includes a period of 145 years, from the death of 
Joseph to the erection of the tabernacle in the wilderness, B.C. 1490. 

The slavery of the Israelites is described in the first chapters, and 
is supposed to have continued ninety years. The laws herein prescribed 
by God to his people, the sacrifices, tabernacle, etc., were all intended to 
prefigure the Christian dispensation. Moses himself was a type of Jesus 
Christ, who was rejected by the Synagogue and received by the Gentiles, 
as the Jewish legislator was abandoned by his mother and educated by 
the Egyptian princess; she delivers him back to his mother, and thus 
the Jews will at last acknowledge our Savior. 

140. Why jvere the children of Israel held by the 
Egyptians in bondage? 

Because of the great increase of their numbers, joined 
to the well-known predictions of their future power. 

141. The tyrant, **who knew not Joseph," began his reign about 
fifty-eight years after that patriarch's death: his name, according to 
some authorities, was Pharaoh Amenophis, according to others, Rameses 
Miamum. 



28 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 1491.— The Burning Bush. 



142. Why did Pharaoh command all the male chil- 
dren of the Hehrervs to he cast into the river (Nile) ? 

Because of the failure of his previous order to the mid- 
wives to destroy them. 

143. This cruel edict appears to have been evaded to a very great 
extent; probably the Egyptians themselves abhorred and refused to exe- 
cute its provisions. 

144. IVh]) did the mother of Moses expose him in an 
ark ^f bullrushes? 

Because, notwithstanding the edict she trusted that the 
providence of God would direct some kindly disposed per- 
son to protect him, although she herself was unable to do so. 

145. The event justified her expectations. The king's daughter 
coming to the river's side discovers the child, and being struck with 
its beauty, adopts it for her own; while the anxious mother, by offering 
herself at the fortunate moment as its nurse, secures for it the maternal 
superintendence. Philo believes that the princess feigned him to be her 
own child. 

From Heb. xi. 24, we learn that Moses "when he was come to years 
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to 
suffer affliction with the people of God." But the adoption of Moses by 
a person of rank was of great importance: by this means he was educated 
**in all the learning of the Egyptians;" thus his natural gifts were fully 
developed, and he became in many respects better adapted for his future 
vocation. 

146. Why did Moses flee from Egypt to Midian? 
To avoid the penalty he had incurred by slaying the 

Egyptian whom he had seen striking one of his oppressed 
brethren. 

147. This doubtful act became, by Divine Providence, a means of 
advancing him further in his preparation for his future career, by inducing 
him to escape into the Arabian desert. Here in the abode of the 
Midianitish Prince Jethro, whose daughter Zipporah he married, and 
in the solitude of pastoral life, he was appointed to ripen gradually tor 
his high calling before he was unexpectedly and suddenly sent back among 
his people, in order to achieve their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. 

148. Why did Cod appear to Moses in the burning 
hush ? 

In order to impress upon him a due sense of the super- 
natural character of his future mission as the deliverer and 
lawgiver of the Jewish people. 

149. His own constitutional diffidence and timidity rendered Moses 
naturally unfitted for so great an office; but the "meekest of men" is 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 29 



B. C. 1491.— Moses Before Pharaoh. 



now invested with the Divine commission, and he is told to rely not 
upon himself, but^ upon God. To his excuses, such as, *T am not 
eloquent," it is replied, "Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh 
the dumb, or the deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the 
Lord?" (Exod. iv. 11.) He returns to Egypt accompanied by Aaron, 
his brother, and neither the dispirited state of the Israelites, nor the 
obstinate oppositions and threatenings of Pharaoh were now able to 
intimidate the man of God. 

150. Wh^ was the rod of Moses changed into a 
serpent ? 

To show him that God had invested him with miracu- 
lous powers, and to give him confidence in his intercourse 
with the Egyptians that he should have the Divine support. 

151. Wh}^ did Pharaoh refuse to let the Israelites de- 
part from Egypt? 

Because he wished to show contempt for the mission of 
Moses and Aaron. Moreover, his people found the services 
of the Israelites profitable to them. 

152. These latter were employed in all the menial offices of their time, 
but their chief work appears to have been the making of bricks. Previ- 
ous to the first message of Moses, the Israelites had been furnished 
with the straw necessary, but now they were told to go and gather it 
for themselves. Nevertheless, the same amount of task-work was required 
of them, and thus their labors were doubled. The ungrateful character 
of the Jews here makes itself manifest, and they murmur against Moses 
as the cause of their cruel treatment. 

153. Horv were the Egyptians sorcerers enabled to 
counterfeit the miracle of Moses's rod when changed into a 
serpent ? 

It is believed that they had real serpents in their hands, 
over which their skill as serpent-charmers enabled them so to 
operate that they made the animals to appear as rods, or as 
serpents, as suited them. 

154. Eastern travelers corroborate this view. Indeed this, or some' 
other similar trick, must needs have been practised. St. Augustin, and 
the ancient councils, say: "Whoever believes that anything can be made, 
or any creature changed, or transmuted into another species or appear- 
ance, except by the Creator Himself, is undoubtedly an infidel, and 
worse than a pagan." 

155. Why did Pharaoh at last let the people of Israel 
depart from Egypt? 



30 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 1491.— The Passover Instituted. 

Because of the severity of the plagues which the anger ol 
God wrought upon him and upon his people. 

156. Of the ten plagues sent upon Egypt — the turning of the river into 
blood — the swarms of frogs — the lice — the flies — the murrain of cattle 
— the storm of hail — the locusts — the awful darkness — the boils — and, last, 
the slaying of the first-born, "from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat 
upon the throne, even unto the first-born of the servant that is behind 
the mill, and all the first-born of beasts," was the most terrible, and 
indeed was too terrible to admit of any more trifling. 

Accordingly one thought alone now- possessed the Egyptian nation, 
which was to get rid of the Israelites at any cost. Hence the willing- 
ness with which they stripped themselves of their jewels and ornaments 
in order to equip the hitherto despised Hebrews for their journey to 
the wilderness. That the latter "spoiled the Egyptians" effectually was 
due to the command of God communicated through Moses, and was 
intended as a poor compensation to the Hebrews for the many tedious 
years of robbery and extortion they had suffered at the hands of Pharaoh 
and his nation. ^ 

157. Wh^ n^as the passover instituted? 

To commemorate **the passing over" of the destroying 
angel when the tenth plague was inflicted upon the Egypt- 
ians. 

158. The passover was thus observed: Each family was to take a 
lamb, or a kid. of one year old, not older, although it would do if over 
eight days old. This was to be killed and eaten with their loins girded 
and with staves in their hands, ready for their flight. Of the blood of 
this paschal lamb a portion was to be taken and sprinkled upon the 
lintel and two side-posts of the house occupied by the Hebrews, that 
so the destroying angel, occupied in his terrible mission, seeing the 
blood-besprinkled doorways, might pass over them, and spare the in- 
mates. 

It is needless to point out how obviously this institution was a 
type of the New Testament dispensation. 

159. Why, on their departure from Egypt, were the 
Israelites led by a miraculous pillar of a cloud and of fire? 

That they might have a continual reminder of the super- 
natural guidance under which they journeyed, and be made 
to depend rather upon its direction than upon their own 
plans. 

160. This pillar of a cloud assumed different appearances as the 
exigencies of the Hebrews required. A little later it is stated to have 
been a cause of darkness and terror to the pursuing Egyptians, while it 
afforded a cheering light to the flying Jews. 

161. Why did Pharaoh and his army pursue them!' 
Because they repented of their previous consent, re- 
gretted the loss of their multitude of slaves, their lent jewels. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 31 



B.C. 1491.— The Israelites Enter the Desert. 



and were doubtless actuated by feelings of revenge at the 
slaughter of their first-born. 

1 62. Wh}^ rvere the Tvaters of the Red Sea divided? 
Because it pleased God to afford His people another 

proof of His power by miraculously opening for them a 
path through the midst of the waves, and in order to inflict 
the most signal punishment upon their oppressors, who were 
bent upon their pursuit and destruction. 

163. God did not restrain the perverse will of the Egyptians, but 
suffered them to be guided by their blind passions, and to rush pre- 
sumptously into the bed of the sea. If the retiring of the waters had 
been owing to any natural cause, this astute people could not be 
unaware that at the stated time the ebbing would cease, and conse* 
quently that they would be overtaken by the waters. But these stood 
up "like a wall on their right hand and on their left," and the 
Egyptians were so infatuated as to suppose that the miracle would be 
continued for their protection. 

164. Why Tvas the encampment of the Israelites at 
Marah so called? 

Because of the bitterness of the water — the word 
Marah signifying bitter. 

165. Marah is now known by the name of Hawarah, and the water 
still retains its bitter taste. It is extremely unpleasant, and is the only 
water near the Red Sea, which the Arabs refuse to drink, except in 
cases of extreme necessity'; and even camels, unless very thirsty, abstain 
from it. Dr. Olin states that it reminded him of a weak solution of 
Epsom salts. 

The dissatisfaction of the Israelites at the well of Marah, may be 
further illustrated by remembering the fact, that the Nile water had 
an extraordinary sweetness of quality, and which it retains to this day. 
The bitterness of this fountain gave cause to Moses to work another 
miracle. By the command of God he threw into the waters a tree, 
"which the Lord showed him," and they became pleasant to the taste. 

166. Why Were the Israelites miraculously fed rvith 
quail and manna? 

Because, on their arrival at the wilderness of Sin, they 
experienced a scarcity of bread, and longed for the flesh- 
pots of Egypt. 

167. They arrived at this point of their journeyings upon the 
fifteenth days of the second month, having left Egypt on the fifteenth day 
of the first month (the day after the institution of the passover). 

About eventide of the same day the quails were sent, and on tHe 
next morning the manna. These quails {Cotnrnix dactylisonans) are 



32 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 1491.— The Laws Given from Mt. Sinai. 

migratory birds, They are often seen crossing the Mediterranean in 
prodigious flocks on their passage- to and from Africa. Although swarms 
of them might settle around the tents of the Israelites without a miracle, 
yet nothing but the fiat of the Almighty could have sent them thither 
at an appointed time. Manna, according to Josephus, signifies, "What 
is it?" being compounded of man-hu. This the text makes evident, for 
it says. "It is manna, for they wist not what it was." The nature and 
taste of the manna of the wilderness is stated in Exod. xvi. 31, "It was 
like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with 
honey." This was the usual taste, but the Book of Wisdom (xvi. 20) 
states that it had the quality of taking various tastes — "Thou feddest 
thine own people with angels' food, and didst send them from heaven 
bread prepared without their labor, able to content every man's delight 
and agreeing to every taste." — (Quoted from Oxford Bible, 1769.) 

An omer of. manna was set aside and preserved for a memorial, which 
preservation was itself a miracle, seeing that one of the characteristics of 
the manna was that it W'ould not keep under ordinary circumstances 
(Exod. xvi. 20). 

1 68. Wh^ did Moses strike the rock ? 

Because the people being come to Rephidim, wherfe 
there was no water, they murmured against him ; Moses, up- 
on an appeal to God, was commanded to smite the rock of 
Horeb, and the supply of water was immediately forth- 
coming. 

169. Wh]) were the hands of Moses held up fci; Aaron 
and Hur while prating for the success of the Israelites 
against the Amalekites, Tvho had fallen upon their rear? 

Because it was found that while they were raised in 
supplication to Heaven, the Israelites prevailed, and when 
they dropped from fatigue, the people began to give way 
before their enemies. 

170. This was beyond doubt a most palpable type of the office of the 
future Messiah, and needs no special application. Every Christian is 
able to see and appreciate its aptitude. 

171. IVh^ were the laws propounded from Mount 
Sinai amidst such terrifying circumstances? 

Because the character of the Israelites demanded such 
a mode of communication; or, in the language of St. Paul, 
"because of the hardness of their hearts." 

1 72. Wh]) did Moses, after the giving of the ten com- 
mandments, remain forty days on the Mount? 

Because he had to receive from the mouth of God the 
various details of the Jewish law and ceremonial. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



33 



B.C. 1491.— The Golden Calf Worshipped. 



I 73. Wh^ did the Israelites set up a golden calf and 
Tvorship it as god? 

Because, on account of the absence of Moses in the 
mount, they deemed that God had abandoned them, and 
they accordingly fell back upon the insensate idolatry of 
Egypt. 

174. It is expressly said, in Joshua xxiv. 14, that while in Egypt the 
Hebrews had served the gods 
of that country; and had this 
information been wanting, the 
fact of their predilection for the 
idolatry of Egypt would be 
sufficiently apparent from their 
conduct on the present and 
various other occasions. That 
-the idol to which they now 
turned aside was an Egyptian 
god, there can be very little 
doubt, and it is very generallv 
agreed that this god was no 
other than Apis, the sacred 
bull of Memphis, under whose 
form Osiris was worshipped. 

175. Why did Mo- /i 
ses, in his surprise and '' 
anger against the people, 
break ihe tables of the law 
which had been written by 
the finger of God? 

Because he considered that such a rebellious people 
were unworthy of so sacred a deposit. 

176. The Jews keep the seventeenth day of the fourth month as a 
fast in memory of this event.* 

177. Why were the artificers Bezaleel and Aholiab 
inspired to carry out the construction of the tabernacle and 
sacred vestments of the Jewish ceremonial? 

In order that the outward appurtenances of the true 
worship might in no way resemble those of the heathen peo- 
ples by whom the Israelites were surrounded, and thus be a 
stumbling block to them. 

1 78. Why is the third book of Moses called Leviticus? 

Because it treats of the offices, ministries, rites, and 

ceremonies of the priests and Levites under the Jewish law. 




APIS (the golden calf). 



34 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 1490.— The Tabernacle. 



179. The Hebrews term it VA-YIKRA, "and he (the Lord) called,"^ 
with which word it begins. In the Septuagint it is called Levitikon — 
from which the Latin word, Leviticus, of the Vulgate, is formed; and 
the word has been adopted in the authorized and other modern' versions 
of the Scriptures. The first seven chapters explain the sacrifices, the 
next sixteen the offices and ordination of the priests and Levites. From 
the twenty-third chapter to the end the feasts are designated, and some 
regulations respecting vows are interpersed. These prescriptions were 
given during the month of Nisan, in the second _year after the exit from 
Egypt, while the Hebrews remained near the foot of Mount Sinai. 

1 80. Wh"^ is the fourth book of Moses called Numbers ^^ 
Because it begins and concludes with the numbering of 

the people. 

The word "Numbers" is derived from the Greek (of the Septuagint) 
APIOMOI. Its Latin rendering in the Vulgate is Numeri, the English o* 
which is "Numbers." The history comprised in this portion of the 
Pentateuch extends over about thirty-nine years, or from the second 
month of the second year after the departure from Egypt, until the 
beginning of the eleventh month of the fortieth year. In the first nin^ 
chapters various orders of people are described, and several laws are 
given or repeated. From the tenth to the thirty-third the marches and 
history of the Hebrews are related. Moses is considered to have com- 
posed this part of the Pentateuch, as well as the Deuteronomy, a little 
before his death, out of the memoirs which he had carefully preserved. 

181. Wh^ rvas the fifth book of Moses called Deuter- 
onomy ? 

Because it is a repetition of the law previously given, 
the word signifying '*a second law." 

182. This title sufficiently characterizes the contents of the book, 
which comprises a series of addresses delivered by Moses to the as- 
sembled Israelites, when he knew that he was shortly to be taken from 
among them, and when they were upon the eve of departure for the 
promised land. He exhorts the Israelites, in the most pathetic manner, 
to be faithful to the Lord, adding the strongest threats and promises 
to enforce their compliance; and having appointed Joshua to succeed 
him, and given the book of Deuteronomy to be kept with care, he blesses 
the people for the last time, goes up to the top of Mount Pisgah, and 
dies. There can be no difficulty about the authenticity of this book 
from the fact of Moses' death being described therein, since he himself 
might have inserted it by Divine inspiration, or it might have been 
added afterwards by its transcriber, Ezra. 

1 83. Why is a general acquaintance with the form and 
character of the Jewish Tabernacle desirable on the part of 
every Christian? 

Because, without it, it is impossible to understand the 
other portions of the Old and New Testament, or to appre- 
ciate die thousand allusions thereto scattered over the whole 
of sacred literature. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 33 



B.C. 1490.— The Tabernacle. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE TABERNACLE OF THE WILDERNESS. 

184. The Outer Court of the Tabernacle was an enclosure fifty-eight 
yards long, by about half that breath. The height of the enclosing fence 
was about nine feet; it was made of fine twisted linen curtains, sup- 
ported by sixty pillars or rods of brass, fixed in sockets of the same 
metal, twenty on each side and ten at the ends. The four center rods 
at each end sustained a curtain, the ends of which looped up and formed 
the entrance or doorway. Entering this doorway from the east, the 
Tabernacle itself stood immediately before the spectator, close to the 
western end of the court. In the intermediate space stood the altar of 
burnt-o£Pering, and a little to the left the brazen laver. 

The Altar of Burnt-offering, made of wood covered with brass 
plates, was about nine feet square and five feet high. It was half 
filled with earth. The upper part of the eastern side was grilled, or 
grated, to allow the ashes of the fire to be removed. The top was ti 
loose grating, on which was placed the wood for the fire and the offer- 
ings. At each corner was a horn; and two sides of the altar had rings, 
with poles, that were fixed into them, to admit of the altar being 
carried. Flesh-hooks ladles, and other instruments of brass appertained 
to the altar, for use during the sacrifice. The priest o£Fering the sacri- 
fice approached to it on a slanting platform, made of earth, raised to 
the height of a large step. 

The Laver stood to the left of the altar, and was a large bowl or 
basin, composed of brass, standing upon a pedestal of the same metal. 
It was kept very bright, and it served the purpose of cleansing the hands 
and feet of the priests before and during the sacrifices. 

The Tabernacle itself was a building of an oblong square form, forty- 
five feet long by fifteen feet in width and height, composed of boards 
ol the imperishable Shittim wood; twenty on the north and south sides, 
with eight on the west end, the east end being left free for the 
entrance. These boards were entirely covered with plates of gold, 
and were set up by being fixed into sockets of solid silver. The boards 
were kept together by five bars of the same wood covered with gold, 
running through rings fixed to the boards in three rows. The east 
end was closed by a veil, supported by five pillars of the same wood 
overlaid with gold, each standing in a socket of brass. The interior 
was divided into two compartments by anothe/ vei\ eighteen feet 
distant from the west end, and supported by four pillars, as the 
outer veil was by five. The inner space thus enclosed was the "Holy of 
Holies." 

The Eastern or Outer Compartment, which stood before the Holy 
of Holies, was draped entirely by rich hangings of fine linen, wrought 
with cherubin and branches of plants in gold, purple, crimson, and 
blue. The first object that met the eye was the Altar of Incense, about 
three feet high, and one foot six inches square. It had a golden crown 
at the top, and was covered entirely with pure gold, and from this 
circumstance was called the Golden Altar. It was carried by means 
of two golden rods passing through rings in its sides, and it wa& 
used for burning upon it the people's offerings of perpetual incense. 
It had horns at the four corners, which in particular solemnities were 
touched with the blood of the victims. On its left stood the 

Seven-branched Golden Candlestick, composed of a stem and six 
branches, holding seven lamps, which were kept burning. In the right 
was p\mc€4i the 



36 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 1490.— Vestments of the High Priest. 




ARK OF THE COVENANT. 



Table of Shew-bread, made from Shittim wood, covered wth gold; it 

was carved and crowned with gold in the same manner as the altar of 

incense. The loaves placed 
upon this table were twelve 
in number, and they re- 
mained lying upon it the 
whole week, being renewed 
previously to each Sabbath. 
They were kept in their places 
by a golden frame, and threes 
small golden tubes were placed 
between each loaf to prevent 
moldiness. The loaves that 
were removed werfr to be 
eaten by the priests alone. 
This table also held various, 
small cups and bowls of gold, 
used in the offering of liba- 
tions. Into this part of the 
Tabernacle none but priests 
might enter. , 

The Holy of Holies was 
draped in a similar manner to 
the ante-chamber, and con- 
tained the Ark of the Cove- 
nant. 
The Ark was a coffer of imperishable wood, covered entirely with 

plates of gold, about three feet nine inches long, by two feet three inches 

in height and width. Within it 

were kept the tables of the 

law, and beside them the pot of 

manna, and Aaron's rod that 

had budded Within a golden 

crown, surrounding the top, 

was placed the mercy-seat. 

This was a plate * of gold, 

serving on a kind of cover to 

the Ark. On either side of the 

mercy-seat stood two cherubim, 

bending down 5n adoration, with 

their wings extended over it. 

Here the Divine presence 

rested, and alone lighted the 

sanctuary. Into this place none 

but the high priest alone might 

enter upon one day in the 

year, the day of solemn atone- 
ment. 

The whole frame of the Tabernacle was enclosed by a tent of goat's 

hair, and two other coverings, one of ram's skins dyed red, and the 

third of fine furs. 

185. Wh]) Were such minute directions given respecting 
the vestments of the high priest? 

Because his whole appearance and functions had a dou- 
ble, that is. a present and a future, meaning. 




EGYPTIAN (imitations of the Hebrew) 

CHERUBIM. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



37 



B.C. 1490.— Vestments of the High Priest 



185. The priests were chosen from among men to be more 
which their washing was a sign, as their splendid robes were to 
them of their dignity and authority 
over the people. The high priest 
had seven special ornaments: — 1, 
white linen, to denote purity; 2, a 
curious girdle, intimating that he 
must use discretion in all things; 
3, the long tunic of various colors, 
with belts, etc., signifying heavenly 
conversation upon earth, unity and 
harmony in faith and morals; 4, an 
ephod, with two precious stones on 
the shoulders, teaching him to sup- 
port the failings of the multitude; 

5, the rational, with its ornaments, 
shows that the high priest should 
teach sound and profitable doctrine; 

6, the mitre indicates that all his 
actions should be referred to God 
above; and, lastly, the plate of gold 
denotes that he should always have 
God in view. (St. Jerome. Epis ad 
Faviol.) 



holy, of 
remind 




ANOINTING THE HIGH PRIEST. 



187. Hoi)? were the He- 
brews enabled in the rvilder- 
ness to procure the large amount of gold and other precious 

materials required in the 
comtruction and ornamen- 
tation of the Tabernacle 
and its appendages? 

Upon their exodus from 
Egypt they were in possess- 
sion of considerable weahh, 
the result partly of their 
own hoarding, and partly 
by their having, in pursu- 
ance of the Divine direc- 
tion, borrowed largely of 
their enslavers. 




EAR-RINGS AND HEADGEAR 
OF THE EGYPTIANS. 



188. That this ''borrowing" 
produced a vast sum is evident 
from (Exod. xii. 36) the passage which says, "And they spoiled the Egypt- 
ians." This store of gold and costly jewels consisted mainly in articles of 
personal attire and decoration, such as rings, pins, brooches, etc. When 
the sacred vessels and offices had to be constructed these were willingly 
offered. 



38 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 1489.— The Scape Goat — Pentecost. 



189. Wh}) did Nadab and Ahihu perish fci; fire from 
Cod? 

Because, at the very outset of the establishment of the 
law, they violated its precepts by offering strange fire before 
the Lord. 

190. The commandment was that the fire should be taken from the 

perpetual fire on the altar. Some commen- 
tators infer that this punishment was all 
they received — that their mortal part 
being punished they saved their souls. 
Hence they were said to have died be- 
fore the Lord, and were buried honor- 
ably. 

191. Wh}) were the laws 
concerning the cure of leprosy 
instituted? 

Because of the significancy 
of that disease, as a type of sin 
in general. 

192. Doubtless there were many 
grievous disorders which equally de- 
manded a cure. The singling out of this 
particular one sufficiently denotes the ob- 
iect of the law. The leper was to 

present himself before the priest; the priest was to lead him forth from 
the camp and examine him; was to take two birds, alive and clean, cedar- 
wood, scarlet and hyssop. One of the birds was to be killed in an 
earthen vessel, over running water, into which the living bird, the cedar- 
. wood, hvssop, and scarlet were to be dipped, and the leper was to be 
sprinkled seven times: he was thus cleansed. The living bird was next let 
loose; the leper was commanded to wash his clothes, to shave off all his 
hair, and return to the camp, but to remain outside his tent seven days. 
After once more washing his clothes and completely shaving oflF his hair, 
he had to make an offering, according to his means, of lambs and oil; 
and with a few more ceremonies the rite was ended. 

193. Why Was the scape-goat sent into the wilderness? 
Because by that means the people had presented to them 

a most striking image of the office of the Messiah as the 
pardoner and reconciler of mankind with God. 

194. Why was the feast of Pentecost so called? 
Because it was observed on the fiftieth day from the 

first day of passover, like which it was a commemoration of 
of the deliverance from Egypt. 

195. Pentecost is derived from pentecoste, a Greek word signifying 
the fiftieth; Hebrew title was the **feast of weeks." 




MITRES OF THE PRIESTS. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



39 



D.C. 1489.— The Camp of the Desert. 



NORTH.— FOURTH DIVISION— CAMP OF DAN, 157,600. 



>5 

Si 



So 



is 



ASHEB 

41,500 



Dait 

62,700 
Airs 



OSO'5^ 



airr 

069*91^ 



Napthau 

53,:100 





KSRABTTSS 






3,200 


s 


« 




« 




H 






H 




^ 


59 


COURT OF THE 


H 








pa so 




W 


S^ 


TABERNACLE. 


H 


<s 








f 






w 













t< 




O^L'Z 






fiaiiHxvoa 





«§5 



&4 



O^g'69 



► 

GO 

H I 



•cs^'isi *^aana:a dO jhvo— ^MOisiAia Ofciooas— Hxnos 



1 96. Wh^ Tvere the various ceremonies of ablution insti- 
tuted? 

Because, apart from the sanitary use of water, it was the 
most apt and palpable type of that inward purity which was 
essential to both priest and people in their approaches to the 
Divine presence. 



197. The ablutions, though various, mainly consisted of washing the 
whole or part of the body before sacrificing or even before entering 
their houses. Ablutions appear to be as old as any ceremonies of 
which we have any record. Moses enjoined them, the heathens 
adopted them, and Mahomet and his followers have continued them. 
The ancient Christians had their ablutions before communion, which 
the Roman Catholic Church still retains as a part of the service ot 



40 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 1489.— The Sacerdotal Tribe. 



the mass. The Syrian Copts, etc., have their solemn washings on 
Good Friday, as have also the Russians, etc. 

198. Wh}) rvere the Israelites forbidden to eat blood ^ 
Because, on account of the sins which they daily com- 
mitted, and which could never be fully expiated by offerings 
on the altar they owed to God all the blood of the beasts 
which they slaughtered, and were to dedicate it to Him as an 
atonem.ent (Levit. xvii. 11—14). 

199. Those commentators who seek for ^jrudential reasons in the 
Mosaical prohibitions, argue thus: — It was a practice among many of 
the Pagan nations of Asia to drink the blood of the victims as a part of 
the sacrificed offerings to their idols. It was for this reason, and to 
draw a line of distinction between them and their idolatrous neighbors, 
that the Jews received this prohibition, and not only the Jews, but 
the stranger within their gates were included in this law. In later 
times, when the pagan Asiatics would force the Christians to apostatize, 
they commanded them to drink blood; in the same way that by the 
Romans they were commanded to burn incense to the idols. 

200. IVh^ n;as one tribe set apart for the service of the 
Tabernacle? 

In order that, being separated from secular affairs and 
living by the Tabernacle, they might give an exclusive and 
undivided attention to it. 

201. The tribe of Levi was selected for this purpose. It had no 
share in the division of the promised land, but was supported in various 
ways by the whole of the people, principally by the tithe or tenth-part 
offering which was compulsory upon the Hebrews, and formed part of 

their code. In return the Levites 
had to be about the person of 
the chief priest, to ''minister unto 
him," to "do the service of the 
tabernacle," to *'keep all the in- 
struments of the same," to erect 
it, watch it, and convey it from 
place to place. 

202. Wh^ were the Is- 
raelites forbidden to eat 
swine's flesh. 

The reason of this pro- 
hibition may be found not 
only in the filthy habits and 
appearance of the animal, but also in the tendancy of its 




COOKING. 

(From the Egyptian Monuments.) 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 41 



B.C. 1489. — Institution of Feasts. 



flesh to engender dieases in eastern climates, particularly 
those affecting the skin, as the leprosy. 

203. Swine have very widely been objects of aversion and avoid- 
ance. The Egyptians, Indians, Phoenicians, Arabians, and others, 
shrunk from them in dislike. These nations in all probability copied 
the prohibition contained in the Jewish law. Swine, as prolific animals, 
were, on the other hand, offered to Venus by the pagans. Among some 
of these, swine's flesh was eaten as a part of religious worship. The 
passage, Isaiah Ixv. 3, 4 — "a people, which eat swine's flesh, and broth 
of abominable things in their vessels" — is thus explained. 

204. Wh]^ rvere the tables Tpith the sheXD-hread set up 
in the tabernacle and afterxpards in the temple? 

As a memorial of the twelve tribes, which the twelve 
loaves or cakes represented before the presence of Jehovah. 

205. The term shew-bread in the Hebrew signifies "bread of the 
presence," or the face. They were made of the finest flour, without 
leaven, and were with salt and frankincense to be offered every week 
to Jehovah: they lay in two heaps, one above the other. The cakes 
were renewed every Sabbath, when the former were removed and eaten 
by the priests. In cases of necessity others partook of the shevfr- 
bread, provided they were Levitically clean. The table was of gold. 
There is a representation of this and the loaves upon the arch of 
Titus at Rome. 

206. What Were the rvave-offerings mentioned in Leviti- 
cus ix. 21? 

They were offerings of the first-fruits, and were intended 
to show that all the blessings of Providence, of whatever 
kind, merited thankfulness on the part of man? 

207. The term is derived from a Hebrew root which signifies "to 
lift up." They were oblations connected especially with thank-offerings, 
which before and after the slaughter of the victim were moved up and 
down, as well as to and fro,, probably in order to show that the sacrifice 
was made to the Lord of all the four parts of, that is, the entire world, 
to whom thus a solemn homage was paid. The word wave is used In 
Exod. xxix. 24, where the Levites are required to be waved as a 
wave-offering, the intention being probably indicated by suitable move- 
ments of the hands. 

208. W^/ip was the ''Feast of Tabernacle'' instituted? 
To commemorate the sojourn in the desert, as well as to 

express the gratitude of the Jews towards Jehovah for giving 
them the rich fruits of the earth. 

209. As the passover was the great spring festival, so this was to be 
the closing celebration of the year. It was to commence on the fifteenth 
day of the seventh month (Tisri), and to last seven days, the first 



42 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 1489.— Rebellion of Korah. 



day, and the following eighth day were to be Sabbaths; seven days 
were offerings to be made, ''And ye shall take you on the first day the 
boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick 
trees, and willows of the brook: ye shall dwell in booths seven days, 
and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God when ye have gathered 
the fruit of the land; that your generations may know that I made the 
<;hildren of Israel to dwell in booths when I brought them out of the 
land of Egypt." (Lev. xxiii. 40-43.) 

2 1 0. What ipere the Nazarites ? 

They were a kind of devotees, or persons who had 
'Vowed to the Lord" to perform pecuHar devotions, or to 
abstain from certain permitted indulgences, either thereby to 
obtain some peculiar favor from Heaven, or to pay the 
penalty for some fault. 

211. The law, as stated in Num. vi., is put forth rather as reg- 
ulating an established than as instituting a new thing. In verse 2 of 
this chapter we read, "When either man or woman shall separate them- 
selves to vow the vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the 
Lord; he shall — " and so forth. The word Nazarite is formed from 
nazar, *'to separate," and means *'the separated one." The term means 
also to distinguish one's self by a wonderful thing. There were Nazarites 
for life, like Samson and St. John the Baptist, and others for a limited 
time, like St. Paul. Their abstinence from wine, etc., lasted generally 
for a month, and was to be performed at Jerusalem. 

212. Why Tvere the seventy Elders appointed? 
Because the people having come to Taberah, where 

their murmurings were punishd by fire from heaven, and 
continuing their complaints against Moses, he besought the 
Lord to relieve him of the burthen of their management, or 
to appoint him some associates in the government of Israel. 

213. This appointing of the seventy elders was the first institution 
of the council or senate called the Sanhedrim. We read ir. Exod. xxiv. 9, 
of seventy elders who were with Moses in the mount, and who are 
again spoken of as "nobles of Israel." The present institution, there- 
fore, consisted probably in nothing more than giving new authorities and 
powers to a body already existing. 

214. Why did Korah Nathan, and Ahiram rebel 
against Moses? 

Because they were jealous of the extraordinary powers 
with which God had invested his servant. 

215. The Sabbath-breaker had just been stoned to death. Korah and 
his companions appear to have seized upon this circumstance as one 
likely to excite murmurs among the people on account of its severity, 
and probably reckoned upon receiving the adhesion of a majority, or at 
least of a sufficiently strong party from the congregation to their side. 
The event did not answer their expectations. Besides the leaders and 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 43 



B.C. 147L— The Brazen Serpent. 



their families, only the two hundred and fifty, who had joined them- 
selves with them, at first arrayed themselves against the constituted 
authority. Their refusal to attend the citation of Moses, their insulting 
accusations, and their awful punishment follow close upon each other, 
and are narrated in Num. xvi. 

216. Why did Aaron s rod burst into blossom? 

As a testimony that he and his family of all the people 
of Israel had been chosen for the exclusive office .of the 
priesthood. 

217. After the fearful punishment of Korah and his companions, 
the people continuing to murmur as before, a plague was sent amongst 
them which cut off fourteen thousand seven hundred souls. Moses was 
then directed to demand from the heads of the eleven tribes a rod each, 
with the name of the tribe written upon it, Aaron's rod, with his name 
upon it, representing the tribe of Levi. The twelve rods were then 
laid up in the tabernacle of the testimony. **On the morrow," in the 
words of the Scripture narrative, "Moses went into the tabernacle of 
witness; end, behold, the rod of Aaron, for the house of Levi, had 
budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded 
almonds." 

This miracle appears at length to have convinced the Israelites of 
the unalterable choice which God had made in favor of Aaron and his 
family, if it did not silence their murmurings. 

2 1 8. Wh}) was Moses forbidden to enter into the 
promised land? 

Because at Meribah he sinned against God in neglecting 
to sanctify Him before the congregation, whom in his im.- 
patience he called rebels, and, contrary to God's command, 
struck the rock twice instead of speaking to it. 

219. It would appear that having been admitted to an extraordinary 
familiarity with God, a very great degree of perfection was required of 
Moses in return. But if, says an old writer, God had not found fault 
with his servant on this occasion, we could scarcely have found any reason 
to condemn him. 

220. Why rvas the brazen' serpent set up in the rvilder- 
ness ? 

Because the people, murmuring on account of the diffi- 
culties of their passage through the wilderness, were plagued 
with fiery serpents whereof many died. Upon their repent- 
ance God commanded that a brazen serpent should be made 
and set upon a pole that as many as looked upon it might 
live. 

221. The obvious typical meaning of this, as applied to the suffer- 
ings of Christ, is referred to in John iii. 14, "And as Moses lifted up the 
serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up."' 



44 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 145L— Death of Moses. 

"^ 5 

222. Wh^ did the. Israelites now begin to taf^e posses- 
sion of the land of Canaan? 

Because all those who had mutinied against God at 
Kadeshbarnea being dead, against whom **He swore in his 
wrath, that they should not enter into his rest," there re- 
mained no obstacle to the accomplishment of the promise. 

223. Accordingly the Israelites passed over Zared and came to the 
borders of Moab at Ar, and at length arrived at Bamoth, a valley in 
the country of the Moabites, and pitched at Mount Pisgah. Their wars 
with the inhabitants now commenced. Sihon, king of the Amorites, 
refusing them a passage, is attacked and slain, and his country taken 
possession of. Og, the king of Basan, coming out against Israel is 
destroyed with all his army and his country possessed. After these 
victories the Israelites set forward and encamp in the plains of Moab. 

224. Why Tvas Balaam sent for by Balak ki^g of 
Moab ? 

Because being in dread of the Israelites he imagined that 
Balaam, as a soothsayer of great repute, had power by his 
enchantments to paralyze their movements and stop their 
progress towards the land of their inheritance. 

225. Why was the name of Balaam, who did not curse 
but bless the people of Israel, held in such detestation? 

Because, although withheld by the hand of God from 
cursing the people, he showed no unwillingness to do so; 
and afterwards gave such advice to Balak as led to the ruin 
of many of the Israelites, and became a perpetual stumbling- 
block to them. 

226. By his advice the women of Moab and Midian are used by 
Balak to turn the people to idolatry. A disorder ensues; whereupon 
God commands Moses to take all the ringleaders and to hang them. 
Then a plague is sent, of which 23,000 men die in one day. 

227. Why did Mosesi before his death, command the 
** stones of memorial' to be set up in the midst of Jordan? 

That the people might have a continual reminder of their 
covenant with God when in possession of the promised land. 

228. This was nearly the last act of Moses. He shortly afterwards, 
by command of God, ascends Mount Nebo and dies. 

229. Why was the burial-place of Moses concealed 
from human knowledge ? 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 45 

B.C. 145L — Accession of Joshua. 

Because, most probably, the great merits and fame of 
the Hebrew leader and lawgiver would have led the sur- 
rounding nations to elevate him into a deity, and to estab- 
lish an idolatrous temple over his tomb. 

230. Judging from analogy, there was danger that the Jews them- 
selves would in time come to pay divine honors to their great lawgiver. 
Some Jewish writers have held that Moses did not die, but was snatched 
away in a cloud like Enoch, and afterwards Elijah; but the sacred text 
directly says "he died," and that God himself buried him in the valley. 
Whether this burial was by the hands of angels, or in some other 
mysterious manner, matters very little. 

231. Why had Moses no succe^ssor, strictly speaking? 
Because according to the original constitution of the 

Hebrew nation God himself was their ruler, the people his 
subjects, and Moses the mediator, or internuncio between 
them. But the title most appropriate to Moses, and most 
descriptive of the part he had to sustain, was that of legis- 
lator of the Israelites and their deliverer from the Egyptians. 
When the Israelites were no longer oppressed with Egyptian 
bondage, and those laws were already introduced which 
were immediately necessary for the well-being of the people, 
his functions ceased. 

232. It was also on this account, viz., that the employments in 
which he was especially engaged were of a peculiar nature, and having 
been accomplished while he was living, ceased when he was dead, that 
the council of seventy elders, who were assigned him to assist in the 
discharge of his oppressive duties, no longer had an existence after 
his decease. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE BOOKS OF JOSHUA, JUDGES, AND RUTH 

233. Why Was the hoof^ of Joshua so called --^ 
Because it contains the history of what passed under the 

leadership of Joshua, and was written by him. 

234. The name of Joshua is equivalent to the Greek, Latin, and 
English name of Jesus, signifying a Savior, or "the Lord saves." This 
great leader was formerly named Osea, or Hoshea, "a saving." This 
appellation was changed by Moses (Num. xiii.) to Joshua, as prophetical 
and significant of the office he was to undertake in saving the people, 
or leading them from the desert into the promised land. That Joshua 



46 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 1450. — Passage of the Jordan. 

was a type of Christ is manifest. The history of the book of Joshua sets 
before us the passage of the Jordan, the conquest of Canaan, and the 
distribution of the country. The length of time embraced therein is about 
fourteen years. 

235. Whv is the River Jordan so called? 

Because it is a very rapid river, the word Jordan being 
derived from jord, or irod, *'it flows," or "comes down." 

236. Wh\) did Rahab the harlot harbor the spies sent 
b}) Joshua? 

Because, by Divine illumination, she knew them to be 
the messengers of the people to whom God had allotted the 
whale country. 

237. St. Paul, in Heb. xi. 31, says: "Through faith the harlot 
Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the 
spies in peace." The term used here for harlot may also mean inn- 
keeper; but whatever she might have been at the time of these occur- 
rences, she was probably awakened to a new life By the account of the 
miracles which God had wrought in favor of his people. 

238. Wh^ "Were the ivaters of the Jordan divided for 
them as the Israelites passed over Jordan? 

Because, in addition to the dry passage thus miraculously 
afforded them, they might be reminded of the passage over 
the Red Sea after their deliverance from Egypt. 

239. Why did the Israelites pass the Jordan on the 
tenth day of the first month? 

Because that day being the beginning of the passover, or 
the day when the paschal-lamb — which was to be eaten on 
the fourteenth day — was to be selected from the flock, the 
occasion might suggest to them their ultimate passage from 
the old to the new dispensation through the Messiah, the 
Lamb of God. 

240. Why did the marina cease to fall upon the day 
after the completion of the passover? 

Because the Israelites had now reached the promised 
land, whose natural supplies were abundant, and they no 
longer needed the supernaturally-provided food. 

241. As a proof of this abundance the text, Josh. v. ii., says: "And 
they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, 
unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the self-same day." That is, 
there was such a plenty, that they had three sorts of corn to choose from. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 47 

B.C. 1450. — Joshua Commands the Sun to Stand Still. 

242. IVh^ did an angelic messenger appear at this 
juncture to Joshua? 

To assure him of victory over the enemies of God and 
his people. 

243. Wh^ did the walls of Jericho fall down when the 
ark of the Lord was carried in a solemn procession around 
them ? 

Because it was the design of God to show the nations 
that the IsraeHtes fought by his direction, and conquered by 
his blessing, rather than by their own prowess. 

244. Wh^ did the Israelites retreat before Ai? 

Because Achan, a man of the tribe of Judah, had sacri- 
legiously hidden some portion of the spoils which God had 
commanded to be destroyed. 

245. The cupidity of this man, who, for a paltry personal end, had 
brought defeat and disgrace upon the whole people, was soon detected 
and punished. Being discovered by means of lots cast, he and his family 
with their cattle were stoned to death, their goods burned, and a heap 
set up over their remains as a memorial of reproach. 

246. Wh^ Were the Cibeonites exempted from the 
general extirpation of the Canaanitish tribes? 

Because, having by a stratagem induced Joshua to spare 
them, the oath which he swore to them to preserve them was 
allowed to be respected. 

247. But the Gibeonites, who had represented themselves through 
their deputation as strangers living at a great distance, and so deceived 
the Jewish leader, upon the people's murmurs, were subjected to the 
performance of the most menial offices, and remained among the Jews 
for many ages, "mere hewers of wood and drawers of water." 

248. Why did Joshua command the sun to stand still? 
That the confederate kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jar- 

muth, Lachish, and Eglon, might not escape under cover of 
night, and so prolong a contest which he was anxious to 
conclude. 

249. These kings, having heard that the Gibeonites had made peace 
with Joshua, banded together and laid siege to their city; but Joshua 
attacked them, raised the siege and routed them, chasing their army 
as far as Azekah. The Lord assisted his people by means of a terrific 
storm, which broke over the heads of the retreating hordes, killing more 
thereby than by the swords of Israelites. Utterly defeated, the five 



48 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 1445. — Judges Instituted. 

kings hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah : from thence they were 

brought out and hanged. The command, "Sun, stand thou still," etc., was 

used in accommodation to the astronomical opinions that then pre- 
vailed. 

250. What Tvas the object of the observance of the 
Sabbatical year which dated from this time? 

It was a charitable provision for the poor, as explained 
by the passage in Exod. xxiii. 10. 11: **And six years thou 
shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather the fruits thereof. But 
the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and be still: that the 
poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts 
of the field shall eat. In like manner shalt thou deal with 
thy vineyard and with thy oliveyard." 

251. Why was Joshua now directed to divide all the' 
land on the west of Jordan among the nine tribes and a half 
as yet unprovided for? 

Because, growing old, it was desirable that this should 
be done, lest his death might leave the affair unfinished, and 
raise a cause of dispute. 

252. Why was the book ^f Judges so called? 
Because it contains the history of what passed under the 

government of the Judges who ruled Israel before they had 
kings. 

253. The writer of it, according to the more general opinion, was 
the prophet Samuel.* Some are of opinion that the Judges might have 
each left records of their respective administrations, which might have 
been put in order by Samuel. These Judges were fifteen in number, and 
their presidency over Israel extended from the death of Joshua to the 
accession of Saul, a period of 450 years. Their office is not exactly 
similar in all cases, the word judges not quite expressing the kind of 
leadership exercised by all of them. They were exceptional rather than 
regular rulers, and were severally adapted to the occasions which called 
them forth. 

254. Why was the book of Judges written? 

The author's intention is to show how, after the death of 
Joshua and until the settlement of the kingdom under Saul 
and his successors, the people, occasionally governed by 
judges, experienced various reverses, and encountered a 
variety of fortunes. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 49 

B.C. 1285.— Deborah— Gideon. 



255. The moral purpose is to exhibit the people in their repeated 
falls and restorations — to proclaim the inevitable consequence of their 
proneness to idolatry, the punishment that quickly followed their sin, and 
the ever recurring mercy that awaited their repentance. 

256. Wh^ did the leaders of Israel cut off the 
thumbs and great toes of the k^^g Adoni-hezek^ 

Because of his cruelty to others, he having previously, 
according to his own confession, cut off the toes and thumbs 
of seventy kings or chiefs, whom he made to minister about 
his table. 

257. The chapters following this account are occupied with a narra- 
tibn of the acts of a generation of men which forgot God, and mingled 
themselves with the Canaanites by marriage and the worship of their idois. 
The Israelitish history, until the judgeship of Eli, may be thus epitomized: 

By the idolatry of Micah and the children of Dan, and the sin of the, 
Benjamites, God, being greatly displeased, raised up against them Cushan, 
king of Mesopotamia, who conquers them and holds them in bondage eight 
years. To deliver them. Othniel, the son of Kenaz and son-in-law to 
Joshua, is sent as a judge and an avenger. He defeats Cushan, delivers 
the Israelites, and restores a peace which lasts forty years. 

After Othniel, the people again relapsing, are given over into the 
hands of Eglon, king of Moab, who, joining with the Ammonites and the 
Amalekites, overthrows the Israelites, and takes Jericho. Under this 
oppression they suffer eighteen years. 

Another deliverer is now found in Ehud, the son of Gera, who 
kills Eglon, routs his army, and establishes a peace for Israel of forty 
years more. After Ehud, for their sins the people are given up to the 
power of Jabin, king of Canaan, under whom they groan for twenty 
years. 

Deborah the wife or Lapidoth, a prophetess, now guides Israel. 
Conjointly with her, Barak, of the tribe of Naphtali, a valiant captain, 
rise against and defeat the forces of Jabin, whose lieutenant, Sisera, 
fleeing for his life, is killed by Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. The 
land thereupon rests for another forty years. 

A lapse into idolatry, and a thraldom of seven years follow. They cry 
to God for help, and are reproved by a prophet. Then Gideon, the son of 
Joash of Manasseh, is by an angel of God sent to deliver them. He takes 
with him against the vast host of the Midianites only 300 men. Being mir- 
aculously assisted, he defeats them, and slays their two kings; after which 
great victories the Israelites offer to settle the kingdom upon him and his 
posterity; he refuses, but accepts a present of gold, which he makes into 
an ephod. This proves an occasion of idolatry to the fickle Jews. 
The land enjoys rest for forty years. Gideon dies, and the people 
again relapse. Abimelech, a son of Gideon, aims at the power declined 
by his father, and after various cruelties (recorded in Judges ix.), 
succeeded in making himself a sort of king. After a turbulent reign of 
three years he kills himself, and Tola, the son of Puah, judges Israel 
twenty-three years. After him Jair the Gileadite succeeds, and rules 
twenty-two years. 

Relapsing again into idolatry, the Philistines and Ammonites are 
brought upon them, and the Israelites are held in a thraldom of 



50 , KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 1155. — Judgeship of Samson. 



eighteen years. Upon their repentance they obtain mercy, and Jephthah 
the Gileadite is raised to succor them; he subdues their enemies, and 
makes a rash vow, to offer up in sacrifice to God the first thing that 
meets him as he returns to his home. His daughter is the first thing, and 
he "did with her according to the vow which he had vowed." He 
judges Israel seven years, and is succeeded by Ibzan the Bethlemite, who 
again, after seven years, is succeeded by Elon the Zebulonite, who 
judges the people ten years. The immediate predecessor of Eli the high 
priest is Abdon the Ephraimite, who rules eight years. 

258. Wh^ n^as Samson raised up as a judge? 
Because the circumstances of the people required a 

leader of his pecuHar character. 

259. The Israelites, under the presidency of Eli the high priest, had, 
for their treasons against God, been suffered to fall under the power 
of the Philistines. This sixth thraldom began seven months after Eli's 
entering upon the government, and continued forty years, that is, until 
seven months after his death, when the ark, captured by them, was 
brought back again. 

Samson was the son of Manoah, of the tribe of Dan, and born 
A.M. 2848. His mother had been long barren, but an angel appearing to 
her assured her of her acceptance with God; of the birth of a son; 
bade her prepare herself by abstinence for the event; directed that the 
child should be dedicated to God from his birth, as a Nazarite, upon 
whose head no razor was to come. According to the prophecy of the 
angel, he was born on the following year, and his election to great 
achievements began to show itself by the acts of preternatural strength 
which he performed; as, for instance, the slaying of a young lion at 
Timnath without any other weapons than' his hands. 

260. Why did Samson man}) a Philistine woman? 
Because moved to do so by Divine Providence, as one of 

the means towards the dehverance of Israel. 

261. The Jews say that this woman was a convert to the true 
faith, in which case there would be no difficulty in his marrying her, 
as afterwards Salmon, the father of Booz, did Rachab. (See Matt. 
i. 5.) But we are put in possession of the real motive of Samson*s 
choice by the passage (Judges, xiv. 4), "But his father and mother 
knew not that it was of the Lord that he sought an occasion against 
the Philistines; for at that time the Philistines had dominion over 
Israel." 

262. Why did Samson propose a riddle to the Philis- 
tines ? 

Because, knowing beforehand that they would neither 
guess its meaning nor yield the forfeit agreed upon, he would 
have a just occasion to make a breach with the Philistines. 

263. Such obscure and ingenious questions were much liked in the 
East. In 1 Kings x. 1., we have an instance where the Queen of Sheba, 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 51 

B.C. 1636. — Judgeship of Samson. 



hearing of the fame of king Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, 
came to **prove him with hard questions." The Egyptians concealed 
the mysteries of their religion, and Pythagoras his choicest maxims, 
under them. The Greeks proposed them at feasts, determined some 
reward or punishment to those who succeeded or failed to explain them. 
The Philistines took a method of their own for discovering the clue 
to the proposed riddle. Coming to Samson's wife, they said, "Entice 
thy husband that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee 
and thy father's house with fire." Thus threatened, she soon extracts the 
secret from him, and imparts it to the Philistines. The anger of 
Samson, and the punishment he inflicts upon the foes of Israel, immedi- 
ately follow. "The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went 
down to Askelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil." 

264. Wh]) did Samson set fire to the Philistines' corn? 
Because, going down to visit his wife about the harvest 

time he found that she had been given in marriage by them 
to another man. 

265. He accordingly catches 300 foxes, and tying firebrands to their 
tails, turns them all into the -cornfields, vineyards, and olive-gardens of 
his enemies, and sets them in a blaze. The Philistines thereupon take 
Samson's wife and father-in-law, and burn them. Samson, in return, 
slays a great multitude of them, and sits down upon the rock Etam. 

266. Wh^ did three thousand of the Jews deliver Sam- 
son into the hands of the Philistines? 

Because, as in the case of Moses in Egypt, they were 
less anxious to be delivered from the slavery of their enemies, 
than to be enfranchized by a prophet of God. 

267. The event, however, proved of no advantage to Samson's 
enemies. Strengthened by Divine Providence, he rises in his might, and 
with a paltry weapon — the jawbone of an ass — slays a thousand Phil- 
istines. God's warrant for this act was plainly enough manifested in 
the miracle that followed. Being "sore athirst," and finding no ready 
means of refreshment, he calls upon the Lord, who answers him by 
causing a hollow place to appear in the jawbone, with which he had 
pursued his enemies, out of which water came; and when he had drank 
thereof his spirit came again, and he revived. And he judged Israel 
in the days of the Philistines twenty years. 

268. Wh\) did Samson carr\) awa^ the gates of Gaza? 
Because, being in that city, the Philistines endeavored 

to make him their captive; which he thus prevented, carrying 
off the doors of the gate, and the two posts. 

269. It was now that Eli presided over Israel. A general depravity 
had fallen upon the whole people. Samson also was a sharer in this 



52 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 1117.— Death of Samson. 



forgetfulness of God and his laws. He appears to have gone up and 
down doing his own will and pleasure, not indeed forfeiting his claim 
to the office of a leader and a judge of Israel, but yet staining his 
character with vices, and associating with the open doors of evil. 

No sooner is he freed from the toils of the Philistines at Gaza, 
than he forms an illicit connection with a woman in the valley of 
Sorek. Dililah, the woman in question, was a mere tool of the 
Philistines. In his folly and blind attachment to her he loses his liberty, 
and, by revealing to her the secret of his strength, he precipitates the 
catastrophe which ends his life. 

270. What Were the circumstances of Samson's death i^ 
Having been captured by the Philistines and deprived of 

his eye-sight, he was made to grind in a mill, as a sort of 
retributive jest upon his great strength. Finally, being about 
to celebrate a great feast, in honor of their idol Dagon, they 
sent for Samson, to make them sport. 

271. His particular mission, as a scourge to the Philistines, has now 
another opportunity to show itself. His hair, the seat of his strength, 
has grown again. He feels his powers renewed. By the Divine per- 
mission he contemplates a catastrophe, which, if it envelopes the 
principal actor, will, at least, send confusion and destruction among his 
enemies. He asks to be led to the two main pillars that support the 
corner of the house in which the princes of the Philistines and a vast 
multitude of their people are assembled; then, with one last effort and 
a fervent prayer to the God of Israel, he grasps the pillars. They give 
way — the house falls, and Samson "kills more men at his death than he 
had done in all his lifetime besides." 

272. Wh^ is the book of Ruth so called? 

From the name of the ancestress of David, vs^hose his- 
tory is therein recorded. 

273. Boaz, whom Ruth married, was great-grandfather to David. 
Ruth had been a Gentile, but was converted to the true faith. 

274. Wh^ is the book of Ruth, being the record of but 
one family as it 'were, placed thus prominently in the Bible? 

Because, by marrying Boaz, Ruth became a progenitor 
of Jesus Christ, who, according to the flesh, sprung from the 
family of David. 

275. Who was the author of the book of Ruth? 
The majority of commentators attribute its authorship to 

the prophet Samuel. 

276. The history contained in the Book of Ruth will not be 
intelligible unless the law mentioned in Deut. xxv. 5, and in Matt. xxii. 
24, be remembered. By this law it was provided, that if a man died, 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 53 

B.C. 1116.— History of Ruth. 



having no son, his brother was directed to marry his widow, and 
raise up issue to him. Ruth, as the childless widow of Mahlon, was 
justified, according to the Jewish law, in seeking to supply the place 
of her deceased spouse, by a marriage with his nearest of kin. Following 
the instructions of her mother-in-law, Naomi, she places herself in the 
path of Boaz. That she does this from a good and virtuous motive is 
declared by the sacred writer in these words (Ruth iii. 10) — "Blessed be 
thou of the Lord, my daughter; for thou hast shewed more kindness in 
the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou foUowedst not 
young men, whether poor or rich." 

The history contained in the book is as follows: — A certain man 
of the tribe of Judah, and of the city of Bethlehem, named Elimelech, 
on account of the famine which prevailed at that time — it was during the 
judgeship of Gideon — in his own land, emigrated to the country of 
Moab; he. his wife Naomi, and his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. 
After a time Elimelech died, and his two sons, having taken wives from 
among the Moabites, died also. Naomi, the widow — plenty and peace 
being restored to her native land — sets out to return to it. Her widowed 
daughters-in-law proceed with her to the frontier; on« of them parts 
from her; the other will not, but casting in her lot with that of Naomi, 
Ruth bids adieu to Moab and its gods. They return to Bethlehem, 
where, in the extremity of poverty, Ruth goes to glean after the reapers 
in the harvest-field of Boaz, a wealthy kinsman of her deceased father-in- 
law, Elimelech. 

Attracted by her appearance, and -informed of her exemplary con- 
duct towards her mother-in-law, Boaz directs his servants to shew 
her every favor. Thus encouraged, Naomi counsels Ruth how to behave, 
instructing her in the Jewish law of inheritance, and putting her in the 
way of claiming its provisions from Boaz. The sequel shows with 
what success. Boaz recognizes her claim, and espouses her, "in order to 
raise no the name of the dead upon his inheritance." 

From this union sprang David, the illustrious King of Israel, whose 
line the writer traces up, in conclusion, through Boaz, to Pharez, son 
of Judah, 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL AND KINGS. 

277. Why were the books of Samuel so called? 
Because principally consisting of the acts of that prophet 

previous to the institution of the Jewish monarchy, and as 
partly written by him. 

278. The portions of these books not written by Samuel are believed 
to have been written by Nathan and Gad, according to 1 Chron. xxix. 
19 — "Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold they are 
written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the 
prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer." 

The books contain the history of Samuel's administration as judge, 
and of the regal government introduced by his mediation and established 
in the house of David. This history consists of three parts: 1. The 



54 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE 



B.C. 1116.— Call of Samuel. 



account of Samuel's call by God — his education and administration as 
prophet and judge over Israel. 2. The history of Saul's government and 
the earlv history of David, whom Samuel prospectively anoints king. 
3. The account of David's government, with which the second book is 
entirely occupied. 

The time comprehended in the history of the two books of Samuel 
covers a space of about 120 years, reckoning from the birth of Samuel 
to near the end of David's reign. 

279. Wh\) rvas Samuel called of Cod? 

Because he was destined to be the successor of Eli and 
the precursor of the monarchy of Saul and David. 

280. What is the meaning of the rvord Samuel? 

It means **heard of God," and was bestowed upon the 
prophet because he was a child given in answer to prayer. 

281. The mother of Samuel, although greatly beloved by her hus- 
band, remained childless. She begged earnestly and long to have this 
reproach removed from her. In her earnestness and agony of suppli- 
cation before the altar of God, when she prayed with her lips although 
her tongue articulated no words, she was misunderstood by Eli, who 
accused her of being inebriated; but upon further examination the high 
priest blessed her, and dismissed her with the hope of a son. Samuel 
was in due time born, and, in consequence of the mother's vow, set 
apart for the service of God, under the tutelage of Eli. 

282. Wh^ rvas Samuel entrusted rvith the Divine mess- 
age in preference to Eli? 

Because the favor of God had been withdrawn from 
the high priest, on account of the wickedness of his sons 
Hophni and Phineas, whom he had failed to correct. 

283. These sons of Eli, although the properly appointed guardians of 
the faith and morals of the people, were, on the contrary, a terrible 
stumbling-block in their way. Through their extortions and impiety, 
"men" had learned **to abhor the offering of the Lord," and his wrath 
was kindled against the sacerdotal transgressors. When the Philistines 
invaded the land, the superstitious Israelites, imagining that the pres- 
ence of the ark of the Lord, notwithstanding their criminalities, would 
act as a shield between them and their foes, sent to Shileh where it 
rested, to have it brought into the camp and into the field of battle. 
Hophni and Phineas, as guardians of the ark, accompanied it, and 
when it was captured by the Philistines, fell beside it in the indiscriminate 
slaughter that ensued. 

284. V/hat rvas the immediate cause of Elis death? 
Hearing of the defeat of the Israelites, and that the ark 

of God was taken, and knowing that very many of the evils 



KNpWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 55 

B.C. 1096.— The ark taken by the Philistines. 

of the nation had been caused by his own negHgence, he 
fainted and fell from his seat, and with the shock broke his 
neck. 

285. The ark, which had been captured by the Philistines, soon 
vindicated its majesty. Being brought into the temple of Dagon, they 
set it up in front of that god. But the idols being — according to the 
apostle — but devils, not able to stand before the ark, flung themselves to 
the earth and were broken. "And when they arose early on the morrow, 
behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground, and the head of 
Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold, 
only the stump of Dagon was left to him." Upon this the inhabitants 
of Ashdod, being sorely plagued, send the ark to Gath. From Oath it 
is sent to Ekron. But the same plagues and judgments following 
wherever it rests, after seven months, by the advice of their priests, 
they send the ark home again with presents and gifts into the land of 
the Israelites, and it is brought to Beth-shemesh. From thence it is 
carried to the house of Abinadab in Kirjam-jearim, who sanctifies his 
son Eleazar to keep it. 

286. Wh^ was the ark allorved to rest at Kirjath-jearim 
instead of at Shiloh, its appointed place? 

Because of the fearful punishment which fell upon the 
inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, fifty thousand of whom were 
smitten for irreverently looking into it. 

287. The ark accordingly remained at Kirjath-jearim for twenty years, 
during which time the prophet Samuel remained in retirement, and the 
whole house of Israel became humbled before the Lord. 

288. Wh^ did the children of Israel desire a king? 
Because of the ill government of the sons of Samuel, 

who walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, 
and took bribes and perverted judgment. 

289. Wh}) Tvas Samuel displeased with their request? 
Because he considered it a declension from the high 

dignity which Israel had hitherto enjoyed as a people gov- 
erned in an almost direct manner by the Divine presence. 

290. The seventh verse of the eighth chapter makes this clear in 
these words: — "And the Lord said unto Samuel, hearken unto the voice 
of the people in all that they say unto thee, for they have not rejected 
thee, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them." 

291. Wh^ was SauU who was a had man, selected as 
the first king of Israel? 

That the people might have a foretaste of the kind of 
government they had preferred. 



56 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 1095.— Books of Samuel. 



292. The request for a king being an act of contempt towards 
the theocracy established by the Divine direction, the character of 
Saul furnished their appropriate punishment. They desire to be led 
by a king, "like all the nations," and a king of the required pattern is 
given them. He is fierce, impatient, and headstrong, given over to the 
gratification of his own will, a tyrant, a consulter of soothsayers, and a 
demoniac. Having alienated the kingdom from himself, and seen it given 
during his lifetime to another, he perishes by his own hand upon the 
field of battle, and his rival reigns in his stead. 

293. What Tvas SauVs first transgression? 

An intrusion into the priestly office by ordering sacrifices 
to be offered, which it was the duty of Samuel to do. 

294. Whether Saul offered sacrifice himself or only set the priests 
to do so, is immaterial. It was his act of impatience and interference 
with the office of the prophet which offended God. 

295. Wh\) Were the Israelites at this time so powerless 
before the Philistines? 

Because, 1 , the blessing of God was not with them, nor 
with Saul; 2, because the policy of the Philistines, in suffer- 
ing no smith to be in Israel, had deprived them of their 
principal weapons of war. 

296. The text (1 Sam. xiii. 19) says: "Now there was no smith 
found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, lest the 
Hebrews make them swords and spears. But all the Israelites went 
down to the Philistines to sharpen every man his share and his coulter, 
and his axe and his mattock. ... So that it came to pass in the 
day of battle that there was neither sword nor spear found in the 
hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with 
Saul and Jonathan his son were they found." 

297. What Was Sauls second transgression? 
Having been commanded to smite the Amalekites, and 

to extirpate them without reserve, he listened to the voice of 
the people and of his own cupidity by sparing a portion. 

298. This stubbornness in persisting to rebel against the directions 
of Jehovah was now visited by that final rejection of his family from 
succeeding him on the throne, which had before been threatened; and 
which was now mystically represented by the rending of the prophet's 
mantle. After this second and flagrant disobedience, Saul received no 
more public recognition from Samuel, who now left him to his sins and 
his punishment, "nevertheless he continued to mourn for Saul." 

299. Why did Samuel mourn for Saul? 

Because he hoped that his grief might move God to 
reverse his sentence against him and to restore him to his 
favor. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 57 

B.C. 1063.— Saul and David. 

300. Wh\) did Samuel proceed secretly to Bethlehem 
when he went to anoint David as the successor of Saul? 

Because Saul had spread the behef that Samuel was his 
enemy; in consequence of which the elders of the people 
were afraid to entertain the prophet. 

301 . Why Was an evil spirit from the Lord said to have 
troubled Saul? 

Because, being rejected by God and given up to his own 
evil will, he naturally became the prey of the tempter of 
mankind, who was permitted to have power over him, in a 
manner more or less complete. 

302. Some commentators say this was a real demoniacal possession, 
others that it was the mere result of an indulgence of obstinacy in 
the mind; for acting upon the character of man, earth contains not a 
more evil spirit than the guilty or troubled mind abandoned to its own 
impulses. 

303. Why did David fight with Coliah? 

Because the Spirit of the Lord being upon him ( 1 Sam. 
xvi. 13), he knew that he was destined to overthrow the 
giant, and deliver Israel. 

304. After his attendance upon Saul, David returned home to 
Bethlehem. But the Philistines being gathered together against Israel 
at Shochoh, and the armies being assembled to repel their attack, the 
providence of God so orders it that David, leaving his occupation as a 
shepherd, should visit the field of battle. He is sent by Jesse, his 
father, with a message to his brothers, and thus hears of the state of 
affairs, and of the impious challenge of Goliah. Conscious of the Divine 
protection, he offers himself as a combatant with the gigantic foe ot 
God's people. He refuses the aid of Saul's armor and weapons: takes his 
staff in his hand, and five smooth stones out of the brook, "and put 
them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling 
was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine." David's challenge 
and conquest of Goliah may be read in 1 Sam. xvii. 41 to the ena. 

305. Why Was SauVs jealousy first excited againd 
David? 

Because, in returning from the conquest of the Philis- 
tines, **the women came out of all the cities of Israel singing 

and dancing And they played, and said, Saul hath 

slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.'* 



58 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 1060.— Friendship of Jonathan and David. 



306. Saul hated David from that day forward. Though not acquainted 
with the anointing by Samuel, yet having received intimation that the 
kingdom should be given to another, he soon suspected from his 
accomplishments, heroism, wisdom, and popularity, that David was his 
destined successor; and instead of concluding that his resistance to the 
Divine purpose would only accelerate his own ruin, Saul, in the spirit 
of rage and jealousy, commenced a series of murderous attempts on the 
life of his rival. He first darts a javelin at David as he is playing 
Tfpon his harp before him. He sends him upon the most dangerous 
expeditions. He seeks to embroil him with his chieftains by first 
giving David his daughter in marriage, and then presenting her to 
Adriel the Meholathite. He then sends murderers to assassinate David 
in his own house, from which danger he only escapes by the con- 
trivance of Michal, his wife, who places an image in the bed, and lets 
her husband down through a window. 

307. Why was David brought to SauVs presence? 
Because his skill in music was made available to the 

cure or mitigation of the king's malady. 

308. There can be no doubt that as the disease of Saul was partfy 
supernatural in its cause, so the power of David's harp and voice was 
supernatural also. But the real reason why David should be intro- 
duced to court was, that he might get an insight into the method and 
etiquette of government, of whicn, as a keeper of sheep, he could 
have no opportunities. 

309. Why rvas Jonathan, jvhom the succession of 
David TPould necessarily supplant, so friendly to him? 

Because, from a similarity of disposition, the son of Saul 
delighted much in David; and it is probable that by Divine 
illumination he had been informed of his high destiny, and 
acquiesced in it. 

310. The fraternal love of Jonathan for David, as described in 
Sam. XX., forms the most beautiful and most affecting portion of the 
books oi Samuel. 

Jonathan knew well what was to happen (says a popular commen- 
tator), and he submitted cheerfully to the appointment which gave 
the throne of his father to the young shepherd of Bethlehem. In the 
intensity of his love and confidence, he shrank not to think of David as 
his destined king and master; and his dreams of the future pictured 
nothing brighter than the day in which David should reign over Israel. 

311. Why did David flee to Achish, the king of Cath? 
Because Saul was seeking his life, and he felt insecure 

within the realm of Israel. 

312. Why did David feign madness rvhile with A chish ? 
Because he considered that his presence would be less 

noticed or feared, by assuming the character of one deranged. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 59 

B.C. 1055.— The Witch of Endor. 



313. The vengeance of Saul upon any who might conceal or 
comfort David, was soon manifested. The high priest, Ahimelech, at Nob, 
had given him bread, and the sword of Goliah. No sooner does Saul 
hear of this, than he sends for and orders the massacre of Ahimelech, 
and eighty-four priests, besides a great number of the inhabitants of Nob. 

314. Wh^ did David spare Saul n>hen he had his life 
rvithin his power? 

Because he wished to prove to the king that he had no 
personal quarrel with him, and was acting only as the instru- 
ment of Divine Providence. 

315. Saul, with three thousand men — chosen out of all Israel — was 
seeking the life of David, and had hemmed hini in, as he thought, at 
the caves of Engedi. It was during a bivouac of Saul's troops that 
the incident occurred related in 1 Sam. xxiv. Saul had retired to a 
shelter to seek rest. Within this very cleft was David, his supposed 
enemy. Emerging silently, David succeeds in cutting oflF the skirt of 
Saul's robe, but cautions his people not to touch the king. David with- 
draws his men, and Saul is allowed to depart. When at a short 
distance, David and his men make their appearance, and demonstrate to 
Saul how easily his life might have been taken, had it been David's 
purpose to do so. Saul is struck with a momentary contrition, and 
makes a covenant with David in favor of his sons and descendants. 

316. Wh^ did David again spare the life of SauU when 
the latter had again set out with an army to destroy him? 

Because he considered that Saul, as the anointed king 
of Israel, was exempt from the ordinary laws of warfare. 

317. The circumstances of this surprise and sparing were very 
similar to those at Engedi. Saul, with a chosen band, was seeking 
David at the hill of Hachilah, before Jeshinon; the latter, with his 
friends, being in the wilderness adjacent. At the fall of night, Saul and 
his company seek repose. David and Abishai, his lieutenant, now 
emerge from their camp, and approach the tent of Saul. He is sleeping 
within the trench, his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster; his 
generals lie around him. The sacred narrative informs us, that a deep 
sleep from the Lord had fallen upon Saul and his company. Abishai 
suggests to David to kill the king; David refuses; they take the spear 
and a cruse of water, and depart scatheless. Arrived at a safe 
distance, David lifts up his voice — awakens the sleepers — taunts the 
king's generals with their remissness in watching their master, and 
remonstrates with Saul upon his continued persecution of one who is 
incontestibly proved to be no enemy, but a friend. Saul is again 
contrite, and departs homeward. 

318. Why did Saul consult the witch of Endor? 
Because the prophet Samuel being dead, and God hav- 
ing withdrawn his communication from him, he could have 



60 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 1055.— Death of Saul. 

no knowledge of the future, except what he .might obtain 
from the evil spirits. 

319. Wh}^ did the Witch of Endor cr^ out "when 
she saw Samuel? 

Because the prophet, permitted by God to revisit the 
earth in order to rebuke Saul, appeared before she had com- 
menced her incantations. 

320. Her surprise and terror clearly showed that it was by the 
direct will of Heaven, and not by the power of her magic, that the 
venerable seer was recalled to sight. Saul s reason is given in the text 
(1 Sam. xxviii. 15) — "And Saul said, I am in great distress; for the 
Philistines fight against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth 
me, neither by the hand of prophets nor by dreams; wherefore I have 
called thee, that thou mayst make known to me what I shall do." 

321. Wh^ did Saul at last commit suicide by falling, 
upon his own sword? 

Because, being defeated by the Philistines at Mount Gil- 
boa, and wounded, he was seized with a fit of despair, which 
he had not virtue enough to resist. 

322. Wh}^ were the remains of Saul and his sons burnt, 
Instead of buried as was usual? 

Because, probably, that thus they might be preserved 
from further insult by the Philistines. 

323. This is the first time that incremation, or funeral-burning, is 
mentioned in the Scriptures; and although a common and honorable 
mode of sepulture among the classical nations of antiquity, it was not 
regarded favorably by the Hebrews. The practice, however, became 
afterwards honorable with them, and so continued until the Babylonian 
captivity, when a change of opinion took place, and the practice was 
discontinued. 

324. Why did David order the death of the Amlekite 
who accused himself of killing Saul? 

To show his horror of such an act of sacrilege, as he 
considered the killing of a king and **the Lord's anointed." 

325. Why did Abner, Sauls general, proclaim Ishbos- 
heth ^ing of Israel, in opposition to David? 

Because, being a powerful but unprincipled soldier, he 
hoped to possess the reins of goverment himself, the imbecil- 
ity of Ishbosheth favoring that project. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



61 



B.C. 1050.— Reign of David. 



326. Wh]) did David suffer Ishbosheih to remain two 
^ears unopposed ? 

Because of his steadfast regard for the family of Saul, 
and particularly for the 
memory of Jonathan, his 
friend. 

327. Wh]) did Abner 
offer to deliver up Ishbos- 
heih to David? 

Because that king had 
reproached him with some 
private misconduct, which 
the haughty general thus 
resented. 

328. Wh\) was Abner 
slain b^ Joab, David's 
general ? 

Because in a contest 
between the tribes, Abner 
had slain Asahel, the broth- 
er of Joab. 

329. Why did his cap- 
tains revolt against and 
kill Ishbosheth? 

Because, seeing that the power of the kingdom had de- 
parted with the death of Abner, they thought to make their 
peace with David by the murder of the son of Saul. 

330. David, however, so far from rewarding the assassins, ordered 
them to be mutilated, and afterwards hanged up over the pool in 
Hebron, honorably burying the remains of Ishbosheth. 

This act of justice on the part of David had a most favorable 
effect upon the tribes which had hitherto stood aloof, for all Israel now 
came to him and saluted him king over the whole country. 

331. Wh}) did David, rvhen bringing the ark of Cod 
from Kirjath-jearim, to place it in his on?n city, allon) it to 
remain at Perez-uzzah? 

Because of the calamity which befel Uzzah, who for 
irreverently touching the ark, was smitten and died. 




WAR COSTUME IN DAVID'S REIGN. 



62 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 1033. — David's Fall and Punishment. 



332. The scene of this misfortune was hence called Perez-Uzzah. 
The whole process adopted on this removal of the ark was entirely con- 
trary to the directions given in the law. The ark was not to be con- 
veyed on a cart or drawn by any animals, but to be carried on the 
shoulders of the Levites, by means of staves; which precluded the ark 
itself from being handled by the bearers in its removals. Indeed, it was 
forbidden on pain of death that any of the holy things should be 
touched even by the Levites. But the ark was the holiest of all. the holy 
things, and hence the punishment of Uzzah, and the humiliation of 
David. 

333. Wh"^ did David afterwards remove the ark l^om 
the house of Ohed-Edom into the city? 

Because, understanding that the Lord had blessed Obed- 
Edom and his house on account of the ark, he longed to 
remove it to his own. 

334. Why did Michal, David's wife, despise him? 
Because, upon bringing into his own house the ark of^ 

God, and being actuated by a holy enthusiasm, David 
danced before it as one of the ordinary choristers might have 
done. 

335. That God approved of the king's conduct, and disapproved of 
that of his wife, was soon made manifest. Michal was stricken with 
sterility, and "had no child unto the day of her death" (1 Sam. vi. 23). 

336. Why Tvas David's request to build a temple to 
the Lord refused? 

Because he was a man whose hands had shed much 
blood. The wars he had been engaged in were indeed just 
ones; but he was also to shed innocent blood, and to stain 
himself with other crimes. The privelege was denied him, 
but it was promised to his son and successor, Solomon. 

337. Why Jvas the prophet Nathan sent to David to 
reprove him ? 

Because of his sin with Bathsheba, and his cruelty in 
compassing the death of Uriah. 

338. David takes Bathsheba to wife after the death of Uriah, but the 
anger of God is kindled against him, and misfortunes crowd upon him. 
Nathan, upon his sincere repentance, assures him of God's forgiveness, 
but announces a series of misfortunes as inevitably to follow. The 
child of David and Bathsheba dies — David's other sons fall into conten- 
tions and crimes — Absalom, his favorite, actually revolts against the 
king, and raises an army to oppose him. In short, the life of David from 
the murder of Uriah is one uninterrupted string of calamity and misery. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 63 



B.C. I020.--Ahithophel Hangs Himself. 



339. Wh^ did Absalom h iU kingdom? 
Because, in revenge of the cruelty practiced upon his 

sister Tamar by Amnon, his brother, he decoyed that prince 
away from Jerusalem and slew him. 

340. Wh"^ did Absalom raise a revolt against David, 
his father? 

Because he was impatient to rule as king of Israel, and 
being full of vanity and ambition could not wait the ordi- 
nary course of events. 

341. Why did David take this revolt so paiientl])? 
Because he looked upon himself as an offender in the 

sight of God, and accepted the trouble as a penalty for his 
sins. 

342. This is strikingly exemplified in the instance of the cursing 
of Shimei. David is represented as walking near Bahurim with some 
officers of his household, when a man of the family of the house of 
Saul comes out and curses him, following up his verbal assault with 
a volley of stones. David's attendants begged to be allowed to chastise 
the insolence of *'this dead dog." His reply is confirmatory of this 
view — "So let him curse. Let him alone . . . and let him curse; for 
the Lord hath bidden him. It may be that the Lord will look on mine 
affliction, and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this 
day." 

343. Wh]) did AhithopheU Absalom* s chief counsellor, 
hang himself? 

Because his advice in the conduct of the conspiracy was 
not followed. 

344. Ahithopel was considered the wisest and most astute of all 
the people of Israel. The strong expression is used in the text that 
"the counsel of Ahithophel which he gave in those days, was as if a 
man should consult the oracle of God." He prescribes a course of 
conduct which Absalom proceeds to follow; but after a while, Hushai, 
a friend of David, comes, apparently in all sincerity, over to the side oi 
Absalom. Ahithophel advises a prompt and sudden mode of action — a 
rapid attack, ere the forces of the king, his father, shall have time to 
be set in array against the rebellious son. Such a course would doubt- 
less have been the wisest. This Hushai perceives; but in the interest 
of David, advises delay, lest any failure should damp the ardor of the 
newly organized revolters. This advice is taken, and David is saved. 
The far-seeing Ahithophel deemed the cause of Absalom to be lost, 
when he knew that the counsel of Hushai was to be followed. His pride 
could ill brook the neglect of the advice he had given, and which he 
had used to see so reverently regarded. On both accounts he abandoned 
the cause. He "saddled his ass and arose, and got him to his house, 
to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and 
died, and was buried in the sepulcher of his father." 



64 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 1017.— Fate of Absalom. 

345. What rvas the fate of Absalom? 

Being defeated by the army of David, his father, and in 
full flight, as he rode upon his mule beneath the spreading 
branches of a great oak, his hair was miraculously caught 
by the tree, and he remained suspended between heaven and 
earth. 

346. Here he was seen by Joab, the captain of king David's host, 
who, taking three darts, thrust them through the heart of Absalom. 

347. Wh^ Tvas the ^ing displeased with Joah? 

Because he had given strict orders, at the commence- 
ment of the conflict, that no one should kill or hurt his son 
Absalom. 

348. Why were the seven men of the race of Saul put 
to death? 

Because, by a breach of his treaty with the Gibeonites 
(Josh. ix. 15), on the part of Saul, the anger of the Lord 
was kindled against Israel, and a famine was sent upon the 
land. 

349. David, ignorant of the cause of the drought, seeks the oracle 
of God and is informed of it. He then endeavors to make a compromise 
with the injured Gibeonites by offering them money. This they refuse, 
and demand full satisfaction upon the race of Saul. "The man that 
consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed 
from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel, let seven of his sons 
be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up." David, seeing no 
alternative, consents; and the famine ceases. 

350. Why did David number the people? 

From a motive of pride, which, in one whom God had 
so highly favored, was a great crime. 

351. David was incited to this act by Satan, as may be seen by 
a reference to 1 Chron. xxi. 1, where it is expressly stated. The folly 
and imprudence of such an act was obvious, even to Joab, an officer 
not very scrupulous, but sufficiently informed of the nature of the tenure 
by which his royal master held his kingdom, to know that the num- 
bering of Israel would offend God. David's repentance immediately 
followed the consummation of his offense, and being told that the choice 
of three punishments was given him, namely, three years famine, a three 
months' flight before his enemies, or a three days' pestilence, he 
chooses the latter, preferring rather to fall into the hands of .God than 
into the hands of men. 

352. Why Were the people punished for what was the 
fault of the ki^g only? 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 65 

B.C. 1015.— The books of Kings. 



They had incurred a great debt of punishment for join- 
ing in the revolt of Absalom and Sheba, the son of Bichri, 
which was discharged upon this occasion. 

353. Why are the first and second books of Kings so 
called :" 

Because they are thus designated by the Hebrews, 
whom our translators have preferred to follow. 

354. The books of Rings were not written by one person. As 
there was all through their history a succession of prophets among the 
Jews, who recorded, by Divine inspiration, the most remarkable things 
that happened in their days, these books seem to have been written by 
those prophets. The first book relates the death of David and the 
accession of his son Solomon. His acts are contained in the first twelve 
chapters. Then ensues the division of the kingdom — Rehoboam, Abijam, 
Asa, and Jehoshaphat reigning over Judah; Jeroboam, etc., over Israel; 
while the prophets Abijah, Elijah, and Elisha appear in the remaining 
eleven chapters. Though the memoirs seem to have been left by con- 
temporary authors, or.e — and that probably Ezra — made the compilation 
after the captivity, frequently inserting the very words of his authors, 
with some additional reflections. 

The second book brings the history down to the conclusion of the 
kingdom of Israel and to the captivity of Judah at Babylon. David and 
his familv occupy the throne for near 480 years; and after the captivity 
continue in som.e degree of honor till the coming of Christ. The king- 
dom of Israel subsists about 250 years. The second book contains the 
transactions of about 308 years. 

355. Why Was David, who is shown to have sinned 
grievously, said to have been a man after Cod's own heart? 

Because, notwithstanding his sins, which were the re- 
sult of human frailty, his whole mind and conduct were 
loyally framed upon the observance of the Divine polity. 

356. David is said to have worshiped God with a perfect heart 
(1 Kings xiv. 8, 9; xv. 3. 5). Idolatry and disobedience are spoken of 
in the Bible as resulting from men's seeking or acting after "their own 
hearts" (1 Kings xii. 33). It is in this sense generally that David is 
so often mentioned in a favorable light. As a worshiper of the true 
God — as holding his regal power in dependence upon Jehovah, the true 
king of Israel — as ruling constitutionally, not despotically; faithful to 
the sacerdotal, as well as the prophetic elements of the government; 
also on account of great personal excellences — he was deservedly accounted 
a model king. He became the idol of the nation — the symbol of national 
weal. 

357. Why did Adonijah aspire to be ki^g? 

Because, after the death of Absalom, he was the eldest 
son of David, and as such thought himself entitled to the 
succession. 



66 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 1012.~Reign of Solomon. 



358. David has been blamed for remissness in not repressing his 
forwardness, as his conduct tended to create confusion, and to frustrate 
the appointment of God. But the king was convinced that nothing would 
frustrate that order; and he would take measures, in due time, to 
curb the ambition of Adonijah, from which as yet he apprehended no 
danger. 

359. Wh]) did Adonijah, upon the proclamation of 
Solomon as ki^g, Hy for refuge to the horns of the altar? 

Because his followers have deserted him, and being 
exposed to the penalty of treason, he thought only of saving 
his life, which the privilege of the sanctuary enabled him 
for the time to do. 

360. lVh\) did David command Solomon to punish 
Joah and Shimei? 

The instructions given by David to his son, with relation 
to these two persons, did not proceed from any rancor of 
heart, or private pique, but from a zeal for justice, that 
crimes so public and heinous might not pass unpunished. 

361. David and Solomon esteemed themselves, in a manner, defiled 
until this was done. Joab had behaved to David with great insolence 
after the death of Absalom. He had lately sided with Adonijah. But 
his worst crime was the treacherous murder of two great generals, who 
had put themselves under David's protection and were promoting his 
welfare. Only the fear of greater commotions had hitherto prevented 
David from bringing his nephew to public execution as the people 
expected. He laid the injunction upon his son, that when his power 
should be sufficiently strong, the impunity of such offenders might no 
longer destroy the commonwealth. 

362. Wh^ was Ahiathar, the high priest, deposed? 
Because he joined the rebellion of Adonijah. 

363. His participation in this revolt brought about the fate pre- 
dicted to the house of Eli (1 Sam. xi). He might justly have been 
put to death. Solomon merely banishes him to his own city; but the 
office of the high priesthood passes from his hands. Joab, hearing of 
the banishment of Abiathar, flies to sanctuary, taking hold of the horns 
of the altar; but even here the justice of the king reaches him, and, 
notwithstanding the sacredness of the place, he is executed. 

364. Hon> did Solomon become celebrated for wisdom? 
Being desired to ask some particular gift from Jehovah, 

he chose that of wisdom. 

365. In answer to his request, God said, "Behold, I have done 
according to thy words; lo, I hav« given thee a wise and an under- 
standing heart, so that there was none like thee before thee, neither 
after thee shall any arise like unto thee." 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 67 

B.C. 1012. — Wisdom of Solomon. 

366. What was the first remarkable example of this 
gift which Solomon exhibited-'^ 

His celebrated judgment between the two harlots 
(1 Kings iii. 16). 

367. Two women dwelt together in one house. Upon a certain night, 
one of these was delivered of a child, and three nights later the other 
was also delivered of a child. The mother of the last born child 
accidently killed it by overlaying it. But rising stealthily, she took 
the living child from her friend's side and substituted for it her 
dead child. The mother of the first-born — living — child immediately 
detected the cheat, but could not procure the restitution of her offspring, 
and she appealed to the king for justice. Solomon listened attentively 
to the two mothers, who both vociferously claimed the living child, 
and endeavored to prove to the king that the dead infant was really 
the child of her companion. The king, to settle the point, hits upon an 
expedient. He calls for a sword, and proposes to divide the living child 
between the two mothers. To this the pretended mother consents; but 
the real parent, whose heart yearns for her offspring, prefers yielding 
her darling to her rival to seeing it slain. "Then the king answered 
and said. Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the 
mother thereof. And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king 
had judged; and they feared the king; for they saw that the wisdom 
of God was in him to do judgment." (1 Kings iii. 27, 28.) 

. 368. Wh}) did Solomon now begin to build the temple? 

Because, in addition to the faculty of wisdom, God gave 

the king riches, and blessed the realm with a lasting peace. 

369. "Judah and Israel dwelt safely every man under his vine and 
under his fig-tree all the days of Solomon." (1 Kings iv. 25.) 

DESCRIPTION OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE. 

In a general way, the Temple of Solomon was an enlarged form of 
the tabernacle of Moses, built in stone, and secured with military defenses 
like a citadel. As the worship of the Mosaic law consisted of bloody 
sacrifices of animals — such as oxen, sheep, and goats — Solomon's temple 
required one spacious quadrangle, or court, expressly for the purpose 
of holding and slaughtering the victims. These had their heads drawn 
down to a set of iron rings firmly fixed in the pavement, and it was the 
business of the priest officiating at the sacrifice to slaughter them with his 
own hand. A priest, then, in the time of Solomon, was a man who had 
to go to work very much the same as a butcher, with his shirt sleeves 
tucked up. This court was necessarily kept inaccessible to all except 
those who were concerned in the work of slaughter. On great festivals — 
such as the passover — the number of the victims was frequently so great 
that the space in this court did not suffice. 

In a hot climate, such as Jerusalem, a temple, where the slaughter 
of victims for sacrifice was of daily occurence, would require a copious 
supply of water for the mere washing away the blood from the pavement, 
for cleansing the victims and the parts of the sacrifices, besides for other 
uses. For this purpose, Solomon constructed a large brazen reservoir, 



68 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 1012.— Solomon's Temple. 



or molten sea, which contained about two thousand gallons of our measure, 
and which was kept filled by a water-wheel. The water from this 
reservoir was carried in smaller brazen vessels upon wheels to the 
different parts of the temple, as required. 

The destruction of the victim being essential to the nature of the 
worship of God by sacrifice, this demanded the erection of a large 
altar of burnt-offering, or "holocaust," proportionate to the offerings ol 
the nation, which the law directed to be offered only in one place. 
Hence a very large altar was required; and, in fact, this great altar 
was popularly termed among the Jews **Ariel," or the Lion of the 
Lord, from the rapid manner in which it consumed the victims that 
were laid upon it. , The space required for this altar, the lavers, the 
vessels of brass for sprinkling the blood of the victims upon it, the 
flesh-hooks, etc., and the service of its officiating priests and other 
ministers and attendants, constituted a separate court of the temple. 
From the nature of the worship, consisting of the flesh of animals 
burnt upon a large fire, any assembly of the people assisting at the 
sacrifice under the same roof, as practised in the Christian worship, 
would be impossible. The worship was obliged to take place in the 
open air, otherwise the stench of the burning victims would have been 
unbearable. Jewish writers even say, that the altar was privileged in 
this sense, that let the wind be which way it might, the smoke ascended 
directly upwards to heaven — a privilege for which an assembled multitude 
might with good reason feel grateful. 

For the people two courts were provided — an Inner court for the 
men, and an outer coyri for the women. The ascent from the court of 
the women to that of the men was through a porch and up a flight of 
steps. No woman was allowed to enter the *'court of Israel" — that 
for the men — except upon the occasion of her offering any victim, upon 
which, according to the law, she was to lay her hand previous to its 
being sacrificed, and for which purpose it was necessary for her to pass 
through the court of Israel to approach the altar. 

In order to protect the people from the rain, or from the sun's 
rays, a covered cloister, supported on rows of pillars, surrounded the 
different courts. It was to one of these courts that our Savior withdrew 
when there came on a sudden storm at the Feast of the Dedication 
(John X. 22). Further, as the temple of the nation, through the con- 
stant offerings of the people, would naturally come to accumulate 
immense wealth in coin and vessels of precious metals, it was necessary, 
in times so subject to the irruptions of marauding and plundering enemies, 
that it should be defended by walls and outworks, equal in power of 
resistance to those of any citadel; and also equally necessary that there 
should be a body of men in its service whose duty it was to be ready 
for its defense in case of an attack. The temple of a nation, in those 
times, generally speaking, also served as a bank of deposit for the king 
and private families — a good reason for making it doubly secure. 

With a view to this security, the spot which God had pointed out 
for the buildings of the temple was most fitted. It was situated on the 
rock or mount Moriah, where Abraham, at the command of God, had 
offered his son Isaac. 

The site chosen was a platform or longitudinal ridge of rock, the 
eastern side of which flanked the valley of Jehoshaphat, in a precipitous 
manner. The southern extremity looked down upon the valley of Ben 
Hinnom, and the side to the west vvas separated by a deep ravine from 
Mount Zion, on which David's palace stood. On these three sides, then, 
the platform was, by nature, inaccessible, and when strengthened by 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



69 



B.C. 1012. — Solomon's Temple. 



high and thick walls, it became almost impregnable. On the north side 
the platform of rock adjoined the rest of the city by a narrow neck, the 
approach to which was secured by a tower of immense strength, after- 
wards called the "turris 
Antonia." This tower, 
with the walls that sur- 
rounded the temple, com- 
pleted its defenses. 

The whole temple, 
thus secured, used to be 
called by the Jews **the 
Mountain of the Lord's 
House. The Lord's House 
itself was comparatively 
trifling in the way or 
dimensions as a building, 
being only double the size 
of the Tabernacle of the 
wilderness. Its import- 
ance lay in its sanctity, as 
being the abode of the 
Lord God of Israel, who 
is said by the prophets to 
have dwelt between its 
cherubim carved in olive- 
wood. 

As in the Tabernacle 
of Moses so in the Lord's 
house, the antichamber 
contained the shew-bread. 
the altar of incense, and 
the seven-branched can- 
dlesticks* ; and was en- 
tered morning and even- 
ing by one single officiating priest. The inner chamber, the sanctuary 
or holy of holies, also contained the ark of the covenant, and was 
entered but once a year, on the day of expiation, by the high priest 
alone. The glory of these two chambers lay in their sanctity and their 
inward magnificence; outwardly they were scarcely distinguishable as au 
architectural feature, being themselves connected with other buildings, 
which contained chambers for the priests, and other purposes connected 
with the temple. 




GOLDEN CANDLESTICK. 



* Annexed is a representation of the seven-branched candlestick, 
taken from a sculpture upon the arch of Titus at Rome. It forms a 
portion of the spoils seized by the Romans, when, in the year of our 
Lord 70, the temple and city of Jerusalem were taken and destroyed. 
Josephus says, that "after the Romans had destroyed the temple, the 
several things which were within it were carried in triumph to Rome, 
namely, the golden table and the golden candlestick with seven branches." 
These were lodged in the temple built by Vespasian, and consecrated 
to Peace, at the foot of Mount Palatine. The arch mentioned above is 
still visible with its bassi relievi. In all probability the golden candle- 
stick of the last temple was modeled strictly upon the pattern of the 
former ones, and was exactly like them in appearance. 



70 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 1004.— The Queen of Sheba. 

■ 

A distinction is to be observed between the House of the Lord and 
the Mountain of the Lord's House — the first term applying to these 
two sacred chambers and the latter to the whole range of buildings with 
its walls and defenses. The Mountain of the Lord's House was, in 
tact, held by a garrison of Levites, who watched it, in a complete state 
of military defense, night and day. 

370. Why did King Solomon marry the daughter of 
Pharaoh, King of Egypt? 

Because an alliance with his most powerful neighbor 
seemed most desirable at that juncture, and was best effected 
by that means. 

371. This princess probably embraced the true religion, as her praises 
are rehearsed in the 44th Psalm, and in the **Song of Solomon;" 
although it is equally probable that she afterwards relapsed into idolatry, 
and bcame a chief instrument in the perversion of the king, 

372. Why was the long peace, mentioned in ] Kings 
iv. 25 particularly necessary at this period? 

Because the special mission of Solomon was the erection 
of a temple to the Lord, an undertaking which could only 
be successful under the circumstances of profound peace, 
and a certain degree of amity with the neighboring king- 
doms. 

373. Solomon wrote a letter to Hiram, king of Tyre, who had been 
his father's friend, requesting him to furnish workmen who were skilled 
in carving cedarwood, and to supply cedar timber from the mountains 
of Lebanon; offering terms to which Hiram replied in a very friendly 
manner. 

Vast numbers were employed upon the building of the temple. Thirty 
thousahd men worked, ten thousand by turns every month, in hewing 
timber, seventy thousand in carrying burdens, and eighty thousand in 
stone quarries in the mountains; over all of whom were set a propor- 
tionate number of overseers. 

374. How long Was the temple of Solomon in building? 
In seven years the works were completed, and all Israel, 

with the princes of the tribes, and the heads of the families 
of Israel, were gathered together to King Solomon in Jerusa- 
lem, that they might carry the ark of the covenant out of the 
city of David to its new resting place. 

375. Why did the Oueen of Sheba pay a visit to King 
Solomon ? 

Because, having heard of his great wisdom, she came 
to satisfy her curiosity, and to prove him with hard questions. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 71 



B.C. 975. — Solomon's Fall into Idolatry. 



376. Because also in all probability this was a means used bv 
Jehovah to spread a knowledge of the truth into the remote regions 
subject to the queen. She confessed that Solomon's wisdom surpassed 
all that she had heard reported. She blessed Jehovah for showing her 
such a king; and from her words (1 Kings x. 9) it is evident that she 
had imbibed some notions of the true worship. 

377. Wh^ did the Divine blessing depart from Sol- 
omon? 

Because, disregarding the law of Jehovah, he added to 
the stores of his riches, the vastness of his armies, and the 
number of his wives; contracting alliances with the heathens 
around him, setting up altars to their idols, and joining in 
the sacrifices offered to them. 

378. "Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is 
done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant, and my statutes, 
which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from 
thee, and give it to thy servant. Notwithstanding in thy days I will not 
do it, for David thy father's sake; but I will rend it out of the hand of 
thy son. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom, but will give 
one tribe to thy son, for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's 
sake, which I have chosen. (1 Kings xi. 11-13.) 

379. Who was Jeroboam? 

He was the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, an 
active talented young man, whom Solomon had selected and 
set over his tribes in the district of Millo. 

380. Ahijah, the Silonite — a prophet of the Lord — met Jeroboam as 
he was going out of Jerusalem. Taking his own new outer garment or 
cloak, he divided it into twelve pieces, and as they were alone in the 
field together, he said to Jeroboam, "Take thee ten pieces, for thus sai<^h 
the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold I will rend the kingdom out of the 
hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee." If Jeroboam proved 
faithful to the law of God, this possession was to be secured to him; if 
faithless, he, in his turn, should be punished. 

381 . Wh^ is it probable that Solomon died repentant? 
Because the book of Ecclesiastes, composed by him, 

and which is full of the expressions of deep repentance, may 
have been his last work, and dying legacy. 

382. IVh}) did the people of Israel revolt from Reho- 
boam, the son and heir of Solomon? 

Because, upon their leaders making a petition to him to 
remedy some defects, of the government, he, contrary to the 
advice of the elders of his council, answered them harshly, 
and with contumely. 



11 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 974.— Revolt of the Ten Tribes. 



383. Jeroboam, probably knowing the temper of Rehoboam, foresaw 
this result, and was prepared for it. It was at his instance that the depu- 
tation had been sent. "Your father," said the leaders of Israel, "laid 
burdens upon us — now, therefore, do you lighten these burdens, and we 
will serve thee." Time to consider is asked by King Rehoboam; a 
council is held; the old men advise concession — the young men resistance. 
Rehoboam prefers to follow the latter plan. His father, he tells them, 
laid his hand upon them, but he will press it down. "My little finger 
shall be thicker than my father's loins." "My father hath chastised you 
with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions." (1 Kings xii. IL) 
Upon these words the people cried out, "To your tents, O Israel; now 
see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents." 

Rehoboam made one more experiment. He sent Adoram, his chief 
collector of tribute, amongst the revolters, "but all Israel stoned him 
with stones, that he dfed." Rehoboam then shut himself up in Jerusalem. 

It may be useful to distinguish the respective territories of the two 
kingdoms into which we find the dominion of David and Solomon now 
divided. Jeroboam possessed ten tribes, together with all the tributary 
nations eastward to the Euphrates. This formed the kingdom of Israel. 
Rehoboam retained only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with Philistine 
and Edom. But the whole of this territory, which was now called the 
kingdom of Judah, included scarcely a fourth of Solomon's dominion. 

384. Why did not Rehoboam endeavor to regain the 
allegiance of the revolted tribes? 

Because he was forbidden to do so, or to fight against 
Israel; Shemaiah, the prophet, being sent from God with a 
message to Rehoboam to that effect. 

385. Why did Jeroboam set up the rvorship of the 
golden calves at Bethel and Dan? 

Because he feared that his subjects, by going up con- 
tinually to Jerusalem to worship according to the prescrip- 
tion of the Mosaic law, might, in time, be induced to revolt 
from him. 

386. To prevent the people being shocked by too great a change, 
Jeroboam appointed feasts, corresponding to those observed in the temple 
at Jerusalem; and to encourage them by oral example, he attended in per- 
son at the altar in Bethel, and worshiped the golden calf which he had set 
up, with all his court and the officers of his household. 

387. Why Tvas the hand of Jeroboam the king rvithered? 
Because, in contempt of the prophet sent against him 

from God, he ordered him to be seized, stretching out his 
arm for that purpose. 

388. The impious king, is no sooner struck with this affliction than 
he is seized with compunction, and entreats the prophet's prayers that the 
use of his hand may be restored to him. The prophet then prays, and 
the king's hand is healed. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBl-E. 73 

B.C. 950.— The Disobedient Prophet. 

389. Wh]) was this prophet, who rvas called the 'Vzs- 
ohedient prophet,'* slain by a lion? 

Because he infringed the instructions given him by God, 
not **to eat bread, or to drink water, or to turn again by 
the way*' he came. 

390. This is one of those mysterious instances with which the 
Biblical history abounds. But some light is thrown upon the circumstance 
by the consideration that those to whom Jehovah has manifested Himself, 
miraculously speaking with them, and confiding his awful messages to 
their keeping, are called upon to correspond to this favor by a very scrup- 
ulous observance of the Divine law and commandment. As Moses, for 
one hasty expression, was debarred from entering the promised land, so 
this young prophet is, for a breach of his orders, met on his return home, 
and becomes the prey of a savage beast. 

39 1 . Wh^ did Jeroboam make war upon the kingdom 
of Judah? 

Because Rehoboam being dead, he considered there was 
a good opportunity to add the kingdom of Judah to that of 
Israel. 

392. The account of this war is found in 2 Chronicles xiii. Abijah 
had succeeded Rehoboam; but although young, he felt no inclination to 
yield his kingdom to Jeroboam. The two armies were drawn up at 
mount Zemaraim, and Abijah, seeking to prevent an effusion of blood, 
addressed a remonstrance to the King of Israel. Israel, however, would 
not hearken, and the battle began by Jeroboam sending an ambuscade to 
attack the army of Judah in the rear. When the latter perceived the 
critical position in which they were, they cried to the Lord, and the 
priests began to sound with the trumpets, "and all the men of Judah 
shouted." This shout is made by Jehovah a cause of terror to the army 
of Jeroboam, which, accordingly, is panic-stricken, and takes to flight. 
The king and the army of Judah pursue, and the Israelites are destroyed 
with a great slaughter. After this war, Abijah, the son of Rehoboam, 
fell sick; out of mercy to him, and to spare his eyes the sight of those 
punishments intended for his father's race, he was called away, and died 
early. Jeroboam, after a reign of twenty-two years, died, and was 
succeeded by his son Nadab. In the second year of his reign, Baasha, 
a man of Issachar, conspired against him and slew him, and became king 
in his stead. And when he was king, he cut off all that were left of the 
house of Jeroboam. 

^ HISTORY OF THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH TO THE TIME OF 
ISAIAH THE PROPHET (b.c. 970 to 750). 

During the ensuing period of two hundred years, kings of the family 
of David succeeded each other on the throne of Judah. But they were 
not all like David — men who sought the honor of God, and the glory of 
his sanctuary. Abijah, the grandson of Solomon, was a wise and powerful 
king. He defeated Jeroboam, as we have seen; the service of the Temple 
flourished, and the kingdom prospered. Asa, his son, succeeded him, 
and was also a good prince. In his reign, the kingdom was attacked by 



74' 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE .BIBLE. 



B.C. 970-750.— Kingdom of Judah. 



an army of Ethiopians, under Zerah. Asa gathered his army, and went 
out to meet him. He supplicates the help of Jehovah, who terrifies the 
Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and they fly. Asa's faith, however, 
in the unseen protector of his kingdom, does not remain firm. Baasha, 
who had revolted against the house of Jeroboam, and had seized the 
kingdom of Israel, began to build a fortress at Ramah, from whence to 
attack Judah. Asa, forgetting his Divine Protector, takes gold and silver 
from the temple to bribe Ben-hadad, King of Syria, to make war upon 
Baasha. The plan succeeds for a time; Baasha withdraws, but Asa is 
informed, through the prophet Hanani, that God is displeased with him. 
The prophet is put in prison by Asa, who dies himself soon afterwards, 
and is succeeded by his son Jehoshaphat. 

This king is faithfful to the traditions of his ancestor David; main- 
taining the worship of the God of Israel. ''Therefore the Lord established 
the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; 
and he had riches and honor in abundance." (2 Chron. xvii. 5.) After 
a reign of twenty-five years, during which he was visibly protected by 
Jehovah, Jehoshaphat died, and was succeeded by his son, Jehoram. 
This was a wicked king. During a reign of eight years, be, in many 
ways, troubled Judah. He slew his brethren — married a daughter 6f 
Ahab, the idolatrous king of Israel, and introduced idolatry into Judah. 
Elijah, the prophet, is sent to warn him; whose counsel he despises; he 

perishes miserably, and is buried 
without any funeral honors. 
Ahaziah, his son, reigned now 
in his stead; but his career was 
equally wicked and brief. ^ He 
was slain by Ahab, and AtKaliah 
his mother seizes the kingdom. 
She puts to death all that they 
can find of Jehoram's family. 
Joash, however, an infant son 
of Ahaziah^ is concealed and 
brought up " in the temple. At 
the age of six years this prince 
is produced by the priest Jehoi- 
ada and acknowledged by the 
people, and Athaliah is deposed 
and slain. As long as Jehoiada 
lived, Joash was guided by his 
counsels, and remained firm in 
his faith. Collections were made 
and the temple repaired. But 
after the death of the good priest, 
Joash fell away into the old be- 
setting sin of idolatry. It was 
now that Zechariah the son of 
Jehoiada the priest stood forth 
as a faithful witness of Jehovah. 
But Joash is impenitent. The 
Syrians of Damascus come and 
plunder the city, and the king of Judah is murdered by his own servants. 

Amaziah, his son, reigned in his stead. He, at first, did what was 
right; but afterwards fell away, and suffered the fate of his father, being 
murdered by his own servants. 

After Amaziah succeeded Uzziah, the leper, whose disease came upon 
him in punishment of his profane intrusion upon the priestly office. He 




ASSYRIAN ARCHERS. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 75 

B.C. 970-750.— Kingdom of Israel. 



had begun well, but became proud of his prosperity, and presumed to enter 
the sanctuary in place of the appointed priests, and to burn incense at the 
golden altar. For this he was struck, and remained a prey to the disease 
of leprosy, living in a house by himself for the rest of his life, his son 
Jotham acting as regent. At the death of Uzziah, Jotham succeeded, and 
reigned peacefully sixteen years. At this time Isaiah prophesied. 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL, (b.c. 970 to 750.) 

393. Wh}) was the prophet Elijah fed h^ ravens^ 
Because of the drough which fell upon the land of 

Israel, in the reign of king Ahab (b. C. circa 918). 

394. Ahab, the sixth king from Jeroboam, succeeded his father Omri, 
and excelled all his predecessors in the flagitious practices of that dark 
period. He married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, 
a wicked woman, who brought her family's idolatry into the kingdom, 
besides the golden calves which Jeroboam had set up. The drought, men- 
tioned above, was the first punishment denounced against Ahab by Elijah. 

395. Why is this prophet called the Tishhite? 
Because he was a native of Thisbe, a small town in the 

territory of Naphtali. 

The additional appellation "of the inhabitants of Gilead," leads to the 
impression that Elijah had removed from hfs native place, and passing the 
Jordan settled in Gilead; of course without being incorporated with any new 
tribe. 

396. Wh'^ did Elijah go to dwell rvith the Tvidojv of 
Zarephath ? 

Because the brook Cherith, beside which he sat, while 
miraculously fed by ravens, after a time dried up. 

397. Here more miracles were worked by Providence. Exhausted by 
his journey, he asks and obtains succor of a poor widow, whom he meets 
with on the outside of the city. But she is as poor as himself. Elijah, 
however, having been directed to her, knows that her wants will be supplied, 
and bids her make a small provision for his refreshment. She complies, 
and has her reward. The drought continued; but her barrel of meal did 
not waste, nor her cruse off oil fail. Her son fell sick, it may have been 
under the privations occasioned by the want of rain. This calamity she 
judged to have been inflicted throught the hands of the prophet as a 
punishment for some sin. The child dies, but is restored to life by Elijah. 

398. Why did Elijah challenge the prophets of Baal? 

After the drought and the famine had continued for two 
years, the third year Elijah met Ahab the king, and bid 
him gather all the people and the priests of Baal to Mount 



76 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 970-750.— Elijah and the Priests of Baal. 



Carmel, there to meet. When all were assembled, Elijah 
came and said, in the hearing of all, **How long halt ye 
between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him. 
But if Baal, then follow him!" 



399. Elijah then proposed, as a test, that altars should be erected, 
and victims slain. After which the priests of Baal and he should each invoke 
the God they served and the God who answered by fire should be acknowl- 
edgea and adored as the true God. To this the people assented with 
acclamation. The idolatrous priests commenced — they built their altar, and 
laid upon it their victims. They invoked Baal, but Baal was dumb; "And 
it came to pass at noon that Elijah mocked them, and said. Cry aloud, 
for he is a god — either he is walking, or on a journey, or, peradventure, 
he sleepeth, and must be awakened." But they cried in vain. In vain 
they leaped upon the altar, or cut themselves with knives. No voice came, 
or any answer. The people, to prevent all chance of deception, were then 
ordered to pour water over the victims for the burnt-offering, and they 
did so till the water filled the trench that surrounded the altar of Elijah. 
The prophet invoked the name of Jehovah, and no sooner had he done 
so than fire from heaven descended, "and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and 
the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was 
in the trench." Cuttings in the flesh were common modes of expressing 
grief, and of deprecating the anger of their offended deities among the 

heathen nations, by whom the Hebrews 

were surrounded. With them the god was 

a being jealous of human happiness, re- 
joicing at its miseries, and to be appeased 

best by self-inflicted tortures on the part 

of the worshiper. Against any such 

practice the law had been directed, which 

is found in Lev. xix. 28, "Ye shall not 

make any cuttings in your flesh for tne 

dead." The Canaanites, in particular, 

were accustomed to lacerate themselves, 

under the influence of strong emotions. 

Hence the acts of the priests of Baal. 

In India, at the present time, such cut- 
tings are common methods of honoring 

or invoking their sanguinary deities, whom 

the Apostle calls devils. The annexed 

figure represents a devotee of Western 

Asia, in the act of inflicting wounds upon 

himself, under this view; it is copied 

from the work of Eugene Roger, a French 

missionary of the 17th century — La Terre 

Sainte, p. 353. Hindoo self torture. 




400. Why did the drought noTv cease? 

Because the people acknowledge the justice of God in 
their punishment, extirpated the idolatrous priests, and re- 
turned for the time to the worship of the true God. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 77 

B.C. 970-750.— Elijah carried to Heaven. 

I — 

401. Wh]) did Jezebel vow vengeance against Elijah? 
Because he had ordered the execution of Baal's prophets. 

402- Jezebel immediately made known to Elijah that her veni^eance 
should follow him. He accordingly fled to Beersheba. This was in the 
extreme southern district of Judah; for the prophet knew that Jezebel 
was not one to threaten only. From Beersheba he continued his flight 
suothward, and proceeded a day's journey into the wilderness of Paran, 
where sinking, overcome with fatigue and hunger, he was miraculously 
relieved, as Hagar had of old received succor in the very same desolate 
region. Refreshed with his food, he went for forty days and forty nights, 
till he came to Horeb, where God appeared to him, and commissioned 
him to anoint Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha. 

403. Wh]) did Ahab put Naboth to death? 
Because he coveted a vineyard belonging to him, and, 

at the suggestion of Jezebel, possessed himself of it by the 
murder of the owner. 

404. To reprove the king was as dangerous as to resist him. No one 
dared to incur the peril. But Elijah was faithful; and, under the Divine 
directions, he went and found Ahab in the vineyard. Alarmed and 
indignant the monarch exclaimed, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" 
The prophet pronounced sentence on the transgressor, whose heart was 
smitten. He gave tokens of penitence, and the execution of the penalty 
was postponed. 

405. Wh}) did Elijah bring fire from heaven upon the 
messengers of Ahab's successor? 

Because the king Ahaziah having fallen ill, and having 
first sent to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to inquire his 
fate, sent afterwards to apprehend Elijah. 

406. That the recourse had to this idol was an act of contempt to 
Jehovah, is stated in 2 Kings i. 3. Elijah afterwards sent to the king a 
message, announcing his approaching death. 

407. Why was Elijah carried to heaven in a chariot 
of fire? 

Because, having deligated Elisha to carry his message 
to Israel, and having anointed him as his successor, it 
pleased God to exhibit to the latter a manifestation of the 
sublime dignity and supernatural mission of Elijah. 

408. The parting of Elijah and Elisha is beautifully described in 
2 Kings ii, "And it came to pass when the Lord would take up Elijah 
into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 
And Elijah said to Elisha, 'Tarry here, I pray thee, for the Lord hath 
sent me to Bethel.' And Elisha said to him, 'As the Lord liveth, and 
as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.' So they went down to Bethel, 



78 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 970-750.— Naaman's Leprosy Cured. 



and the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, 
and said unto him, 'Knowest thou not that the Lord will take away thy 
master from thy head to-day?* And he said, 'Yea, I know it; hold 
ye your peace.' And Elijah said unto him, *Elisha, tarry here, I pray 
thee, for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho.' And he said, *As the 
Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.' So they 
came to Jericho." (The sons of the prophets that were at Jericho 
repeat the warning to Elisha, but he heeds them not. They then came 
to the Jordan together, and Elijah miraculously divides the waters, and 
they pass over dry shod. Elisha then asks' that, when Elijah leaves 
him, a double portion of his spirit may be given him; which request 
is granted.) "And it came to pass, as they still went on and talked, 
that behold there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and 
parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into 
heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, *My father, my father! the 
chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof;' and he saw him no more." 

409. Why were the children who mocked Elisha killed 
fcj; hears? 

Because the majesty of Heaven was insulted in the per- 
son of the prophet, and this signal punishment was intended 
as a token of the deference that would be exacted for the 
person and mission of Elisha. 

410. Wh]^ did Elisha sweeten the hitter Waters at 
Jericho? 

As a mark of the Divine favor for the city that sheltered 
the prophet. 

4n. Elisha became celebrated throughout Israel for the miracles 
which he worked after having received a double portion of the spirit 
of Elijah. He multiplied a few loaves of bread, so as to feed a 
hundred men. He neutralized the poison that had been boiled in the 
pot by accident, for the meal of the sons of the prophets. He mul- 
tiplied of cruse of oil wherewith to pay a poor woman's debt. He 
restored to life to the son of the Shunamitess who sheltered him. He 
made the iron head of an axe to swim on the waters of Jordan. He 
revealed to Jehoram all the secrets of the Syrian army, and blinded 
the eyes of a Syrian company that was sent to arrest him, so as to 
bring them into the middle of Samaria before they knew to what place 
they were being led. He foretold to Jehoram the breaking up of the 
siege of Samaria, and his deliverance. He foretold to Hazael, king of 
Syria, that he should supersede Ben-hadad. 

412. Why was Cehazi, the servant of Elisha, struck 
with leprosy? 

Because he took a bribe from Naaman the Syrian, 
who had been cured by Elisha. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 79 

B.C. 970-750.— The End s>i Jezebel. 



413. Naaman, general of the army of the king of Syria, was a 
favorite with his master. Unfortunately he was a leper. But it so 
happened that among his domestics was a little captive maid, whom a 
certain predatory company had stolen from the land of the Hebrews : "And 
she said to her mistress, Would God, my lord were with the prophet 
that is in Samaria, for he would recover him of his leprosy." Then 
Naaman went unto his lord and told him, saying, ''Thus and thus 
said the girl from the land of Israel." The king advised him to follow 
up tJie hint, and gave him a letter to the king of Israel. So Naaman 
departed with the usual compliment of gold, silver, and changes of 
raiment. When the king of Israel received the message, he concluded 
that the whole business was only a covert scheme to bring about a 
quarrel between the two kingdoms. "Am I God," said he, "to kill and 
to make alive." He rent his clothes and exhibited all the marks of 
a man ill at ease. But word is taken to Elisha, who comforts the king, 
and bidding him remember that there is a prophet in Israel, desires him 
to send the Syrian general to him. Naaman arrives at the house of the 
prophet, who directs him by a message to go and wash seven times in 
the river Jordan, with the promise that upon his compliance his flesh 
should recover its soundness. 

Naaman was piqued that the prophet should suffer him to come and 
go without honoring him with a personal interview. He also disliked 
the commonplace nature of the means to be used for his cure, although 
it is not said that he doubted of their efficacy. "I thought," said the 
disappointed general, "he will surely come out to me, and stand and 
call upon the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the 
place and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of 
Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in 
them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage." (2 Kings v. 
11, 12.) But Naaman appears to have been singularly blest with good 
and faithful attendants, one of whom ventured to remonstrate with his 
master, showing him how very easy the conditions were, and how unrea- 
sonable it would be to neglect them on account of their simplicity. 
Yielding to his advice, Naaman proceeds to the Jordan, and is healed. 
Then returning he wished to bestow some tokens of his gratitude upon 
Elisha, but none would be received. The servant Gehazi, however, upon 
the departure of Naaman, hastened after him, and pretending that the 
prophet had had a sudden demand upon his purse, obtained from the 
Syrian general a handsome largesse. Of course this is immediately dis- 
covered by Elisha, and the leprosy is inflicted upon Gehazi. 

414. Wh^ T))as Jehu anointed k^ng during the life of 
Ahah? 

Because he was intended as the instrument in God's 
hands for the punishment of that wicked king. 

415. Wh}f did dogs lick up the blood of Jezebel, the 
Wife of Ahab? 

Because of her crueHties, and especially on account 
of her procuring the murder of Naboth. 

416. Jehu, the extirpator of the race of Ahab, was but an indiffer- 
ent character; still, because he had faithfully carried out his mission, 
the throne of his race was secured to his family to the fourth generation. 



80 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Oriental Customs of Salutation. 



He was accordingly succeeded by his son, Jehoahaz, by Jehoram, his 
grandson, Jeroboam IL, his great grandson, and Zachariah, the fourth 
in descent from him. There his dynasty ended. In four more reigns the 
kingdom of Israel terminated, and its subjugation by Assyria com- 
menced. Finally> in the year 721 B.C., Salmanezer took Samaria, carried 
(iff the principal inhabitants captive, and planted them in Halah and 
Habor, cities of the Medes. 

417. Wh}^ Tpas Cehazi, the servant of Elisha, when 
sent fci? the prophet to the bereaved Shunamite, ordered not 
to salute any one h\) the n^ap, or to acknorvledge the salu- 
tations of others? 

Because the business required despatch, and the nature 
of oriental civiHtics tended to a great expenditure of time. 




BOWING. 




BOWING TO THE EARTH. 



418. The gestures and inflections of the body, which were made on 
an occasion of salutation differed at different times, 
varying with the dignity and station of the person who 
was saluted. In pronouncing the forms of salutation, "Be 
thou blessed of 
Jehovah," "The 
blessing or Jeho- 
vah be upon 
thee," ''May God 
be with thee," 
etc., the Orien- 
tals placed the 
right hand upon 
the left breast, 
and with much gravity, inclined 
the head. At the present day 
if two Arab friends of equal rank meet together, they mutually extend to 

each other the right hand, and 
having clasped, they elevate them 
as if to kiss them. Having ad- 
vanced thus far in the ceremony, 
each one draws back his hand 
and kisses it instead of his 
friend's, and then places it upon 
his forehead. If one of the Arabs 
be more exalted in point of rank 
than the other, he is at liberty to 
give the other an opportunity of 
kissing, instead of his own, the 
hand of his superior. The parties 
then continue the salutation by 
reciprocally kissing each other's 
beard, having first placed the hand 
under it, in which case alone it 
is lawful to touch the beard (2 
Sam. XX. 9). In the presence of 
the great and the noble, the Ori- 
entals incline themselves to the 




ANCIENT MODE OF SALUTING. 



earth, kiss their knees or the hem of their garments, and place it upon 
their forehead. When in the presence of kings and princes they prostrate 
themselves, smite the ground with their foreheads, or kiss the earth. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



8 



The Books of Chronicles. 



419. Wh}) Were the first and second books of Chroni- 
cles written? 

In order to supply an account of certain details concern- 
ing the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, which the writers of 
the preceeding books of Samuel and the Kings had omitted. 

420. The seventy Greek interpreters call these books "the first and 
second books of Paralipomenon," that is "of things left out." By the 

Hebrews they are termed Debre-haja- 
min, that is, "The words of the 
days," or as the English Bible has 
it, the "Chronicles." They are not 
to be confounded with the books so 
often quoted in the books of Kings 
and Samuel as the "words of the 
Kings," or the "Chronicles of the 
Kings," because the present books 
were written subsequently to the 
books of Kings and Samuel. The 
Chronicles were most probably writ- 
ten by Ezra. 

The name Chronicles was given 
to these books by St. Jerome, because 
they contain an abstract, in the order 
^ of time, of the whole of the sacred 
_ history down to the period when 
^ they were written — 3468 years. They 
appear to have been compiled out of 
the national diaries or annals. They 
contain many things not extant else- 
where; and several things related in 
the former books are here enlarged 
upon and elucidated. Hence the title "things omitted" {paralipomenon). 
The authenticity of these books is beyond question as well by a great 
mass of external evidence as by the indirect attestation of our Lord and 
his apostles. 




MODERN PERSIAN BOWING. 



421. Wh^ are there several manifest variations in 
names, facts, and dates between the books of Kings and 
Chronicles ? 

Because the latter books were supplemental to the former, 
and were compiled at a much later date, when the vernacu- 
lar language had undergone a change, when several places 
had received new names, or had undergone sundry vicis- 
situdes. 



422. Certain things were now better known to the Jews under other 
appellations; and from the materials before him the author of the Chron- 
icles selected those passages which were best adapted for his purpose, 



82 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 536.— Ezra the Prophet. 

■ 

and most suitable to the times in which he wrote. The variations in 
proper names will generally be accounted for by attending to the precise 
period of time spoken of whence it will appear that frequently two differ- 
ent persons are described. 

423. What are the principal contents of the two hooks 
of Chronicles? 

The first book contains the genealogies of those persons 
through whom the Messiah was to descend from Adam to 
the captivity, and to the time of Ezra ; the first inhabitants of 
Jerusalem after the captivity; the reign and death of Saul; 
and the transactions of the reign of David. 

The second book contains the history of the kingdom of 
Israel under Solomon; the accession of Rehoboam; the 
division of the kingdom; and the plundering of Jerusalem 
by Shishak; the reigns of Abijah and Asa, kings of JudaL; 
the reign of Jehoshaphat; the Teigns of Jehoram and 
Ahaziah; and the usurpation of Athaliab; the reigns of 
Amaziah, Uzziah, and Jotham; of Ahaz, Hezekiah, 
Manasseh, Amon, and Josiah ; .the subsequent reigns to the 
destruction of the city and temple; and the edict of Cyrus. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE BOOKS FROM EZRA TO DANIEL. 

424. Wh^ was the book of Ezra written? 

Because it was desirable to preserve a circumstantial 
account of the events preceding and coincident with the 
return of the Jews from Babylon, the rebuilding of the 
temple, and the re-establishment of the Jewish ceremonial, 
which Ezra, as a principal actor, a priest, and a prophet, 
was well qualified to do. 

425. The book of Ezra, accordingly, contains memorabilia, or records 
of events occurring at the end of the exile. It comprises accounts of the 
favors bestowed upon the Jews by Persian kings, of the temple, of Ezra's 
mission to Jerusalem, his regulations and reforms. The time comprised 
in the book is about seventy-nine years, or from B.C. 536 to 457. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 83 



B.C. 536.— Nature of Synagogue Worship. 



426. Wh^ is Ezra called the son of Seraiah, when it is 
known that the latter was slain by Nebuchadnezzar more 
than a centur]) before Ezras time? 

Because it had become usual to call a person **the son," 
who was only the descendant of another. 

427. Thus, son of David meant descendant of David, etc. 

428. Wh)) is the era of this leader and priest ver^ 
interesting? 

Because with him the Jewish system of worship under- 
went a complete reinvigoration, during which the people 
were thoroughly weaned from their old tendency to idolatry, 
and the synagogue with its observances arose. 

429. Wh^ was the synagogue so called? 

Because it was a place of meeting. The two Greek 
words from which the term is formed having that signifi- 
cation. 

430. What was the nature of the synagogue worship 
among the Jews? 

When an assembly was collected together for worship 
— which was on all Sabbaths and festival days — the 
services began with a doxology, i. e., a hymn of praise to 
God. A section was then read from the Mosaic law. 
Then followed, after the singing of a second doxology, the 
reading of a portion of the prophets. (Acts xv. 21 ; Luke 
iv. 16.) 

43L The person whose duty it was to read placed upon his head, as 
is done at the present day, a covering called Tallith — a kind of veil, 
commemorative of the veil which Moses put upon his head when the 
brightness of his countenance was intolerable by the sinning Hebrews. 
(Exod. xxxiv.) The sections which had been read in Hebrew were 
rendered by an interpreter into the vernacular, and hence arose the 
sermon or discourse, which, although at present delivered by one and 
the same person with *the reader, is only an amplification of the inter- 
preter's part. The reader or some other person then addressed the 
people. It was on such occasions that our Lord, during His ministry, and 
afterwards the apostles, taught the gospel; and it was in reference to 
these opportunities that Jesus warned His followers that they would be 
"put out of the synagogues." The meeting, as far as the religious exer- 
cises were concerned, was ended with a prayer, to which the people 
responded Amen, when a collection was made for the poor. Synagogues 
were built in imitation of the temple at Jerusalem — that is, each was a 
quadrangle, having in the middle a small chapel on four pillars, standing 
on an elevated platform, on which lay the book of the law. In consequence 



84 * KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 536-515.— Nehemiah. 



of the nefedful washings, synagogues were often built near running water. 
Synagogues came into existence as a consequence of the expansion of 
Judaism, and spread wherever it gained a footing. Their origin cannot 
be satisfactorily referred to an earlier period than the exile, when the 
Israelites, severed from their temple and scattered abroad in strange 
lands, would naturally meet together for worship, and so become habituated 
to particular localities and provide suitable structures. The practice once 
introduced was perpetuated when they returned to their mother country. 
In the time of our Lord every considerable town in Palestine had its 
synagogue; large cities had several, and in the capital there were 
above four hundred. Synagogues were also found in the cities of Syria, 
Asia-Minor, and Europe, which had a Jewish population. The Tal- 
mudists, indeed, assert that wherever were ten free adult Israelites, 
there ought a synagogue to be erected. The duty and cost of building 
synagogues lay with private individuals, and were sometimes voluntarily 
undertaken by heathens. 

432. Wh]) was the book of Nehemiah so called? 
Because it was written by the captive Jew of that name, 

who was instrumental in restoring the temple and worship 
of the Israelites after their enslavement in Babylon. 

433. Nehemiah was held in good repute by Artaxerxes, king of 
Persia, and was his chief cup-bearer. The books of Nehemiah and Ezra 
concern the same facts, and should be considered together. The books 
of Ezra and Nehemiah were originally combined, and were called the 
first and second books of Ezra. In their subject-matter they are mani- 
festly a continuation one of the other. But they form no complete 
and consecutive narrative. Their aim was not to form a history which 
should continue that of ''Kings" and "Chronicles," but to narrate the 
chief events that accompanied the return of the exiles. Like all the 
other writings in the Bible, the chief aim and tendency of the books are 
of a religious nature; and whatever it has of history, is only incidental 
and subsidiary. 

THE LEADING FACTS CONTAINED IN THE BOOKS OF EZRA 

AND NEHEMIAH. 

Cyrus, in the year b. c. 536, that is, in the first of his reign, per- 
mits the captive Jews to return to their native land, restoring to them 
the sacred vessels which had been taken from the Temple. Having 
reached Jerusalem, they take steps to restore the worship; build an altar 
for sacrifice, celebrate the feast of tabernacles, and lay the foundation of 
the temple amid the songs of the young and the tears of the aged, 
who had seen and remembered the splendors of the former house. • 

The Samaritans express a desire to take part in the work, but are 
refused by the Jewish leaders; whereupon they use their influence with 
the king of Persia, in order to interrupt the building. In the reign 
of Darius Hystaspes, the Jews, under the exhortations of their prophets, 
continue the structure with the special permission and assistance of 
that monarch. Accordingly they bring the temple to a completion, dedi- 
cate it, and celebrate the passover. Under Artaxerxes Longimanus, Ezra 
proceeds with a second colony to Jerusalem, having in his hands a 
letter from the king; finding that during his absence many mixed mar- 
riages had taken place, contrary to the Mosaical law, Ezra is filled 
with grief, offers to God a penitential prayer, and takes measures to 
remedy the evil. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 85 



B.C. 536-515.— The Second Temple. 



Nehemiah hears at Susa of the lamentable condition of the land 
of his fathers. His dejection is noticed by the king, who, upon an 
inquiry learns ^the cause, and gives his cup-bearer leave to go to 
Jerusalem and rebuild its walls (Neh. i. ii.). The Jews begin the 
work, and notwithstanding various hindrances thrown in their way, 
accomplish their purpose. The people complain of their Poverty, and 
of the oppression and usury of the richer Jews, which leads Nehemiah to 
speak of his own disinterestedness, and to compel them to cease from 
their evil courses, and to restore the property taken in mortgage, llie 
fortifications of the city being completed, watchmen are appointed, and 
the governorship is assigned to Nehemiah's brother, Hanani, and to 
Hananiah, the ruler of the palace. Ezra reads to the people the book of 
the law, the import thereof being expounded to them in the Chaldean 
longue, with which alone they were now familiar. Feasts and observances 
are kept. The covenant with God is renewed and sealed. The popula- 
tion of Jerusalem being still insufficient, it is replenished by drafts from 
the rural districts. Certain lists of priests, and the succession of the 
high priests are then given, the walls are dedicated, and the books 
conclude with rules for organization, and some exhortations. 



THE SECOND TEMPLE. 

On the first building of the temple, Solomon had , received letters 
of congratulation and good-will from all the neighboring princes and 
kingdoms; and on the setting up of the altar, and the dedication of the 
house of the Lord, the whole kingdom rang with shouts of joy, and all 
the neighboring people rejoiced with Israel. But when the remnant of 
the children of the captivity came back, few in number, and broken in 
spirit, to rebuild a second temple out of the ruins which the sins of 
their nation and its rulers had brought upon the holy place, they soon 
found that though the first building had been a work of joy and peace, 
the present one would be a work of strife and danger. The Samaritans 
first sent to say that they were of their kindred, and desired to join 
with them in building. But Zerubbabel answered, "You have nothing to 
do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together 
will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as Cyrus the king of Persia hath 
commanded us." Upon this the Samaritans joined in league with the 
other people of the country, and they hired counselors in the Persian 
court to intrigue there, that the decree of Cyrus might be reversed. 
After Cyrus was dead (b.c. 530), and in the reign of his son, the 
Samaritans renewed their intrigues, and so far succeeded, that they 
obtained a decree forbidding the work to proceed. This took place 
in (522 B.C.), sixteen years after the date of the decree of Cyrus. It 
was now that Haggai and Zechariah appeared and fulfilled their mission. 
Zerubbabel then took courage, and commenced the woi-ks anew; J:pon 
which the opposition from the Samaritans was immediately renewed, and 
the matter was brought before king Darius, who was now on the throne. 
Darius soon ended the dispute by confirming the decree of his grandfather, 
Cyrus, and by ordering that if any man offered any more opposition, a 
beam of wood should be taken out of his house, and he should be 
hanged upon it. Armed with this decree, Zerubbabel pushed forward 
the works of the temple, and at length they were completed in the month 
•Adar, of the sixth year of king Darius. The feast of unleavened bread 
was kept by all the people with the' greatest joy on the occasion of the 
solemn dedication of the second temple. Thus the work prospered, and 
was completed under Zerubbabel. The young rejoiced; but the old men, 
who remembered the first temple, grieved at its curtaifed splendor and 
proportions. This second building was only half the size of the first, 
and its materials were vastly inferior. 



86 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. (about) 521.495.— History of Esther. 

434. Wh^ is the book of Esther so called? 
Because it contains the history of the queen of that 

name. 

435. Who was the writer of the hook of Esther? 
It is generally supposed to have been Mordecai. 

436. In Esther ix. 20, it is said, "And Mordecai wrote these things, 
and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of 
the King Ahasuerus, both nigh and far." The Jews have a greater 
respect for this book than for any of the prophets, whose works, they 
say, will perish at the coming of the Messiah; whereas this will subsist 
with the books of Moses, and the feast of purim (Esther ix. 21) will never 
be abolished. 

437. What is the date of the events narrated in the- 
hook of Esther? 

It is not agreed whether these events happened before or 
after the Babylonian captivity; but it is now commonly 
supposed that Esther was married to Darius Hystaspes, 
A. M. 3489, about the time of the dedication of the temple. 

438. He had been upon the throne of Persia and Media six years, 
and he reigned thirty years more. Josephus differs from other authors, 
thinking that Esther was the queen of Artaxerxes Longimanus, who was 
a great friend of the Jews. 

439. What were the circumstances that led to the ele- 
vation of Esther? 

King Ahasuerus gave a great feast to his princes and 
nobles; when merry with wine, he sent his royal chamber- 
lain to the apartments of Vashti, his queen, invitaig her 
presence, being desirous *'to show the princes and pet»pie 
her beauty and magnificence." 

440. Why did Vashti refuse to appear.? 

From a haughty contempt of the king's request, and a 
wish to exhibit her independence of his authority. 

44 1 . Why did the king depose her jor this refusal to 
appear? 

Because it was represented to Ahasuerus that the bad 
example of queen Vashti would influence the domestic 
manners of the whole Persian empire, and that hence the 
Persian women would be insubordinate to their husbands. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 87 

B.C. (about) 521-495.— History of Esther. 

442. Hon> Jvas Esther introduced to king Ahasuerus? 

When the deposition of Vashti was completed, a suc- 
cessor in the king's favor was sought for; and by the 
providence of God, Esther was brought forward. 

443. Many candidates for the vacant throne of Vashti were, through 
the diligence of the king's officers, found; out of >these, Ahasuerus was 
to make his choice. Among the dwellers in Shushan the palace, there was 
a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, a Benjamite — a 
captain whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried away; 
with him was Esther, an orphan, the daughter of his uncle, who had been 
brought up by him, and the maid was fair and beautiful. "So it came 
lo pass, that when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, 
and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, 
to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king's 
house, to the custody of Hegai, the keeper of the women" (Esther ii. 8). 
Finally, the king prefers Esther to all the candidates for his favor, "And 
the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and 
favor in his sight, more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal 
crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti" (Esther 
ii. 17). 

444. Why did Mordecai refuse to how to Haman, 
Tphen the latter was advanced h\) the k^ng to a high dignity? 

Because Haman was an Amalekite, to whom no Jew 
could offer any act of obeisance without forfeiting his self- 
esteem. 

445. The Hebrews had once sworn to exterminate the Amalekltes, 
and to the extent of their means they had done so. The power of that 
people had been broken and reduced to nought by them, and their hate 
was not yet appeased ; this one captive Jew was the exponent of the 
feeling of his whole nation, and it is probable that his hopes of the 
future restoration of Israel through the influence of Esther may have 
actuated Mordecai upon the present occasion. 

446. Why did not Haman at once seek ihe punishment 
of Mordecai? 

Because he counted it as insufficient for his revenge to 
lay hands upon him only, and sought to destroy all the Jews 
that were in the kingdom of Ahasuerus. 

447. With this view, he went home and drew lots from an urn, to 
determine in what month the nation of the Jews was to be destroyed. 
The lot came out for the twelfth month, which is called Adar. He then 
went to the king, and representing to him that there was in his dominions 
a people that had laws and ceremonies unlike all other people, and that 
they were noted for being rebellious against kings, he urged that it was 
expedient for the safety of the king's empire that they should be destroyed. 
In this manner he obtained letters from Ahasuerus to the effect that on 
the thirteenth day of the twelfth month the people should everywhere 
rise up to kill and destroy the Jews, both young and old, women and 



88 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. (about) 521-495. — History of Esther. 

little children, in one day, and to make a spoil of their goods. The 
couriers that were sent out made haste to fulfill the king's commandment. 
And immediately the edict was hung up in Shushan, the king and Haman 
feasting together, and all the Jews that were in the city weeping. 

448. V/h}) did Mordecai, when he heard of the edicU 
rend his clothes, cover himself rvith sackcloth, and sit at the 
gate of the king's palace? 

Because he concluded that thus he should attract the 
notice of the king's servants, who would report his behavior 
to queen Esther. 



449. Word was accordingly soon carried to her that Mordecai sat 
mourning at the king's gate. Esther sent to know the reason. Mordecai 
sent in reply a report of all that had happened, and gave Jier messenger a 
copy of the edict. Esther, on receiving this, understood what was re- 
quired of her, and sent answer to Mordecai that he must know that^ 
it would be death to her to go into the inner palace to the king, except 
the king should hold out the golden scepter in token of clemency, and 
that she had not been called to the king for thirty days. 

At Mordecai's reiterated request, Esther consents to infringe the 
law and to intrude upon the privacy of the king, should he fail to 
hold out to her the golden scepter. 

450. Why did Ahasuerus invite Esther to his presence? 

Because the Jews and Esther having implored the bless- 
ing of God by a solemn fast of three days and nights, the 
heart of the king was secretly moved to do so. 

45L On the third day Eslher attired herself in her royal apparel, and 
trembling as she passed through the suite of apartments, she presented 
herself to the king. She pleased his eyes, and he extended to her the 
golden scepter, and said to her, **What wilt thou, queen Esther, what is 
thy request? If thou shouldest ask one half of the kingdom it shall be 
given thee." Esther answered by requesting that the king and Haman 
would come to a banquet which she had prepared. The king graciously 
assented, and word was sent to Haman in the palace, who made haste 
to join the king at the banquet. Esther, however, did not then make 
her request known, but promised to do so on the following day, if 
the king and Haman would accept from her a second banquet. 

452. Wh}; did Haman cause a gallows fift]) cubits 
high to he erected for Mordecai? 

Because he flattered himself that the high favor in 
which he now stood with both the king and queen would 
enable him to do whatever he pleased with his enemy. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 89 



B.C. (about) 521-495.— History of Esther. 



453. He boasted before his wife and friends of his riches and great- 
ness, and that Esther the queen had again invited none but himself to 
the second banquet. But nevertheless all this honor would be as nothing 
so long as the Jew Mordecai sat unmoved at the king's gate. 

454. What particular circumstances turned the scale in 
Mordecai' s favour? 

He had been so fortunate as to overhear the treasonable 
conversation of tw^o officers of the royal household. A plot 
to assassinate Ahasuerus vs^as thus frustrated; for Mordecai 
immediately communicated the intelligence to the king, and 
the traitors were hanged. 

455. The night following Esther's first banquet was passed by the 
king in sleeplessness. He accordingly, to divert the time, had the records 
of the empire read aloud to him. 

Here the providence of God directed the readers to that portion 
which gave an account of the treasonable attempt frustrated by Mordecai. 
The king asked with roused attention what reward had been given to 
this faithful subjects It was replied, "He hath received no reward at all." 

At this n^oment Haman was coming through the palace gate to 
proffer to the king his request that Mordecai might be hanged upon the 
gallows. The king, upon the entrance of Haman, put the question to 
him, "What should be done to the man whom the king has a mind to 
honor?" Haman, thinking that of all men deserving of honor he was 
the most eminent, answers, "The man whom the king delighteth to honor 
should be clothed with the king's apparel, be set upon the king's horse, 
have a royal crown put upon his head, the first princes and nobles of 
the land should hold the bridle of his charger, and proclamation should 
be made before him through the streets of the city. Thus shall it be 
done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor." 

At the king's command, which admitted of no dispute, Haman had 
to arise, array Mordecai the Jew, and carry out to the very letter the 
terms he had prescribed for himself. 

456. What was the end of Haman? 

He was, upon the discovery of his plot to the king by 
Esther, ordered to be hanged upon the gallows which he 
had prepared for Mordecai. 

457. Why TPas the edict against the Jen>s^ rendered 
innocuous? 

Because of the great influence of Esther with king 
Ahasuerus. 

458. Mordecai was now called, and received from the kin^ the ring 
which he had commanded to be taken from Haman. Esther conSessed to 
the king that Mordecai was her uncle; she threw herself at the feet 



90 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. (about) 1520.— The Book of Job. 



of Ahasuerus and entreated that all measures taken against her people migl^t 
be stopped. But by the laws of the kingdom no edict that had gone out 
with the king's seal affixed thereto could be reversed. Therefore the 
king assented that letters should be written in his name empowering the 
Jews everywhere to defend themselves should they be attacked. And 
when the thirteenth day of the month came, the princes and governors, 
knowing Mordecai to be a Jew and a prince of the palace, in great 
power, in all cities and villages favored the Jews, so that when they 
were attacked, instead of being overcome they achieved a most triumphant 
victory over their enemies. 

459. Wh}^ was the feast of Purim instituted? 

To commemorate this most signal interposition of God 
in behalf of his scattered people. 

460. Accordingly, from that time to the present hour, the Jews, 
under every vicissitude of fortune, have kept the feast of the fourteenth 
and fifteenth days of the month, and there is no name among them more 
honored than that ol Esther. 

461. Who Tvas the author of the hook of Job? 

It is rather uncertain by whom this book was written. 
Some attribute it to Moses; some to Job himself; some to 
one of the prophets. The point is immaterial. 

462. Who was Job? 

He is supposed to have been of the race of Esau, and 
the same person as is mentioned in Genesis xxxvi. 33. 

463. The time that Job lived is also a matter of doubt, but it 
is probable that it was while the Israelites groaned under the Egyptian 
bondage, or sojourned in the wilderness. The object of the book is lo 
show ^ that sometimes the wicked prosper, while the good are plunged in 
affliction. Like the rest of the Old Testament, it has a literal and an 
allegorical meaning. The style is very poetical, though, at the same time, 
simple, like that of Moses. It is supposed that a great portion of the 
book of Job has been lost. St. Jerome, whose authority is great, says 
about eight hundred verses have disappeared. 



HISTORY OF THE BOOK OF JOB. 

Job is represented as a dweller in the land of Uz; an upright 
man, one that feared God, and eschewed evil. He is a kind of petty 
prince, in the kingdom of Edom. His substance is great, his family 
numerous, his happiness complete. Job is as solicitous for his children's 
souls as for their bodies; hence he rises early to ofiFer sacrifices for them; 
for Job said, "Lest, perhaps, my sons have sinned, and cursed God. Thus 
did Job continually." But the enemy of God and man, Satan, is envious 
of Job's felicity. He insinuates, before the angelic court, that Job 
does not serve God for nought — that he finds godliness profitable, and so 
is godly. The enemy obtains leave to prove the patriarch, by sending 
afflictions upon him — he may take from him his wealth, his children, his 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 91 

B.C. (about) 1520.— The Book of Psalms. 



friends, everything, except his life. The book then narrates how this is 
done, and with what effect. Job, in the midst of all his cruel persecu- 
tions, still blesses God. 

The most exquisite tortures, the reproaches of his wife, and the 
lecturings of his pretended friends, fail to shake his faith and confidence 
in the Divine goodness. 

When stripped of everything, and sitting diseased upon a dust-heap, 
and sunk to the lowest depths of human distress, he exclaims, "The Lord 
gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." 

The main portion of the book is taken up with the sad reflections of 
Job upon the calamities to which man is naturally subject. He com- 
plains not of his own case; he justifies God in his providence; the 
remonstrances of his friends and Job's replies are sublime examples of 
the power of diction. 

The judgment of the All-wise is invoked by Job. This is given; 
for God appears in a whirlwind, and without taking part in the views 
of either Job or his friends, awakens a sense of his impotence and short- 
sightedness in the heart of Job, who, in consequence, humbles himself 
still more under the mighty hand of his Creator. This conduct is 
approved, while the three friends are severely condemned. Recompense 
is made to Job. A social feast ensues; after which Job lives one 
hundred and forty years, in great abundance and high repute. "He 
had seven sons and three daughters, and in all the land were no women 
found so fair as the daughters of Job." (Job xlii. 13-15.) 

464. IVh^ rvas the book of Job rvritten? 

Bishop Lowth is of opinion that the principal object of 
the poem — for this book takes the highest form of poetry — 
is the third and last trial of Job, from the unkindness and in- 
justice of his accusing friends; the consequence of which is, 
in the first place, the anger, indignation, and contumacy of 
Job, and afterwards his composure, submission, and peni- 
tence. The design of the book is therefore to show men, 
that having a due respect to the corruption, infirmity, and 
ignorance of human nature, as well as to the infinite wisdom 
and majesty of God, they are to reject all confidence in 
their own strength and righteousness, and to preserve, on all 
occasions, an unswerving and unsullied faith, submitting, 
with -becoming reverence, to the Divine decrees.* 

465. Why IS the book of Psalms so called? 
Because written to be sung: the word psalm being inter- 
preted to mean a musical instrument. 

466. According to Venerable Bede, the word psalter is derived from 
an instrument of ten strings, resembling the Greek letter A. 

* Lowth's "Lectures on Hebrew Poetry." 



92 knowledgp: of the bible. 

The Book of Proverbs. 

467. IVh^ is the authorship of the Psalm ascribed to 
David? 

1 . Because it is known that David, not being permitted 
to build the Temple, made very great preparations for its 
erection by his son; among which preparations was the 
training of four thousand singers, by two hundred and 
eighty-eight masters of music. 2. Because his name is 
affixed to the majority of them. 3. Because others, without 
his name appended, were quoted as David's by our Savior 
and the apostles. 

468. The Psalms are called by the Hebrews Sepher tehillim, 
"Books of Hyms," or "Praises." TUis title being considered 'by the 
seventy translators not quite appropriate, they called them Psalmoi — 
psalms or lyrical odes — that is, odes, to be accompanied with music. 
The word psalter is the same as "psaltery," so frequently mentioned < 
in the book, "a stringed instrument." 

469. PF/ip are some of the Psalms inscribed ''of 
Asaph,'' ''of Heman,'' etc.? 

Because in all probability these Psalms were directed to 
them, as the persons charged to sing, or to see that they 
were sung. 

470. The question of the authorship of the Psalms has been much 
discussed. The Fathers of the Church are divided in opinion upon the 
subject; some of them regarding David as their sole author, others 
looking upon him as their editor. The authorship of a few has been 
ascribed to Moses, of others to Ezra. The question is unimportant, 
since they are all equally the result of inspiration. Dr. Kitto says : 
"There is scarcely any book of the Old Testament of which the Divine 
inspiration and canonical authority are established by more satisfactory 
and complete evidence. The evidence from the New Testament alone 
is abundant; for the book is there quoted and referred to as divine 
by Christ and his apostles, no less than seventy times. The Divine 
authority of some of the books of the Old Testament has, on various 
grounds, been impugned by persons who have admitted the inspiration of 
the other books, and have not questioned the general fact of Divine 
revelation; but the authority of the Psalms has not been questioned Ijy 
any who have faith in the sacred character of any part of the Scripture. 
The eminently practical character of the Psalms, their beautiful and 
touching utterance of feeling to which every devout heart responds, has 
rendered the book peculiarly dear to the pious in all ages. 

471. Wh^ is the booli of Proverbs so named? 

Because it consists of wise and weighty sentences, regu- 
lating the morals of men, and directing them to wisdom and 
virtue. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 93 



Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon. 



472. These sentences are also called parables, because great truths 
are often couched in them under certain figures and similitudes. 

473. Wh^ IS the existence of the hook of Proverbs, a 
strong evidence of the truth of revelation generally)? 

Because the wonderful amount of knowledge and wis- 
dom embodied in them is a direct proof that Solomon, their 
author, received the gift which he was promised by God. 

474. The book of Proverbs is thoroughly ancient and oriental in its 
character, but it is distinguished from all other examples by its thoroughly 
religious tone. "The tear of the Lord (religion and piety) is the 
beginning of knowledge." This golden truth is the great burden of 
the book. It stands as part of a brief introduction (Prov. i. 1-9), which, 
with less brevity, states what the reader has before him; and at the end, 
assuming the tone of a parent, exhorts him to love and pursue religious 
truth as not only highly useful, but pre-eminently ornamental. With 
the 10th verse begins the first and chief collection of maxims, which 
extends to chap. xxii. 16. Next follows a less collection, xxii. 17, 
xxiv. 22. A few proverbs ensue, xxiv. 23-34. Then comes a more ample 
gathering of wise words, xxv.-xxix. This body of didactic poetry con- 
cludes with three short appendices. (1.) "The words of Agur, the son 
of Jakeh, the prophecy." (2.) "The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy 
that his mother taught him." (3.) We then have a beautiful picture of 
an oriental housewife. 

475. Wh}) IS the hook of '' Ecclesiatses'' or the 
preacher, so called? 

Because the author, Solomon, "the son of David, king 
of Jerusalem,** shows, by a series of forcible exhortations, 
the vanity of the world and the necessity of religion. 

476. The title is taken from the Septuagint. Its Hebrew name is 
of similar import, meaning "a preacher," or one who addresses an 
assembly. Although the name of Solomon does not occur in the book, 
the general opinion, in all ages, has ascribed it to him. The tradition of 
the Jews states that Solomon composed this work in his old age, after he 
had repented of his former vicious practices, and had become, by sad 
experience, fully convinced of the vanitv of everything terrestrial, except 
piety and wisdom. Many parts of the work itself corroborates this view. 
The acknowledgment of folly and sin, on the part of its author, implies 
that It was composed after he had apostatized from God, and had 
subsequently repented of his past conduct. Indeed, the book bears strong 
internal proof of what we elsewhere learn about king Solomon. 

477. What is the nature of the hook entitled 'The 
Song of Solomon?'* 

It forms one of the canonical books of the Old Testa- 
ment — was written by the king whose name it bears — and, 



94 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. (about) 760.— The Prophet Isaiahr 

under the figure of a marriage, typifies the intimate relation 
subsisting between Christ and his Church. 

478. The book is quoted in the New Testament. (See Matt. ix. 
15; xxii. 2; John iii. 29; 2 Cor. xi. 2, etc.) To be fully understood 
and appreciated, requires a studious and enlightened mind. This is, 
doubtless, one of those portions of the sacred writings, which, according 
to St. Peter (2 Peter iii. 16), are converted by "the unlearned and 
unstable unto their own destruction." 

479. Wh}) is Isaiah called the Evangelical Prophet? 
Because of the number and variety of his prophecies 

concerning the advent and character, the ministry, the suffer- 
ings and death of Christ, as also the planting and permanent 
extension of his kingdom. 

480. So explicit and determinate are his predictions, in reference 
to the person and passion of Christ, as well as so numerous, that he 
seems to speak rather of things past than of events yet future; hence 
he may be called an evangelist rather than a prophet. No one, indeed, 
can be at a loss in applying these prophecies to the events of the 
Gospel history. 

481. Wh]) is Isaiah sometimes called the Prince of all 
the Prophets? 

Because his book abounds with such transcendant excel- 
lences, that it affords the most perfect model of prophetic 
poetry ; and the dignity of his subject exceeds those of all 
the other prophets put together. 

482. Isaiah is so little known as to his personal history, that it 
is difficult to make out a connected chain that shall show his character 
and mission upon the ordinary plan. He exercised his prophetical office 
in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 
It is inferred from Isa. vi. 1, compared with vii. 1, that he did not 
begin his work till the year that king Uzziah died (b.c. 752), and as 
he appears to have been alive in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah, his 
public ministry lasted for about half a century. With a view to give 
effect to his teachings he was accustomed to wear mean, unsightly, and 
uncomfortable clothing (Isa. xx. 2). His ordinary abode was Jerusalem; 
and he was probably twice married. By his first wife he had a son who 
was called Shear- jashub (the remainder will turn). His second wife, 
called also "the prophetess," bore him another son, to whom was given 
the symbolical name of Maher-ghalal-hash-baz (hasten the booty! quick to 
the prey!), as indicative that before the child should be old enough 
to call its parents by their names, the enemies of Judah, namely Syria and 
Samaria, should be vanquished and plundered. Another name, Immanuel, 
was given to the child, in token of the intervention of God for the 
deliverance of his people. 

Isaiah's religious instructions were addressed chiefly to Judah and 
Jerusalem, yet he turned his prophetic eye on neighboring lands. Under 
Jotham, whose reign was in general prosperous, Isaiah had little other 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 95 

B.C. (about) 630. — The Prophet Jeremiah. 



duty than to enforce moral principles. The weakness and idolatry of 
Ahaz called forth greater exertions from the prophet, who manifests 
political wisdom and zeal. Chiefly, however, in the first half of Hezc- 
kiah's reign, did he employ his now mature powers for the high religious, 
moral, and political ends which it was the aim of his life to promote. 
A diversely-related tradition makes him to have suffered a death of 
violence under Manasseh (698-643). According to this account Isaiah 
was sawn asunder by order of the idolatrous monarch. 

483. IV h}) is the book of the Prophecies of Isaiah a 
strong proof of the authenticity) of the whole Bible? 

Because of the complete fulfillment of those prophecies; 
a result which no human power could have brought about, 
and which fulfillment the entire page of history sacred or 
profane establishes. 

484. The clear and satisfactory accomplishment of Isaiah's predic- 
tions place his authority and inspiration beyond doubt. He foretold the 
captivities of Israel and Judah, and described the ruin and desolation 
of Babylon, Tyre, and other nations. He called Cyrus by his name, and 
described his conquests and conduct towards the Jews above 200 years 
before the birth of that king. But his prophecies concerning the 
Messiah seem almost • to anticipate the Gospel narrative. In these he 
describes the Divine character of Jesus Christ; his appearance; his 
peculiar qualities and virtues; his rejection; the very circumstances of 
his passion and death; and, finally, his resurrection and the triumph 
of his kingdom. 

485. Wh"^ Were the Prophecies of Jeremiah given? 
Because of the idolatrous apostasy and other criminal 

enormities of the people of Jiidah, and the severe judgments 
which God was prepared to inflict upon those who remained 
obstinate. 

486. The captivity of Judah, together with a distant prospect of 
future favor and deliverance, form the subjects of the book of Jeremiah. 
An exception to this, however, is found in the 45th chapter, which 
relates to Baruch, and the six succeeding chapters, which regard the 
fortunes of some particular heathen nations. He foretold the fate of 
Zedekiah, the Babylonish captivity, the precise time of its duration, and 
the return of the Jews. He foreshowed the miraculous conception of 
Christ, the virtue of his atonement, the spiritual character, and the 
inward efficacy of his laws. His reputation has spread among many 
eastern nations, and heathen writers have borne testimony to his accurate 
historical descriptions. 

487. Why is the name of Jeremiah generally) associ- 
ated with a feeling of sadness? 

Because of the prevailing character of those prophecies 
which it was his mission to declare to the Jews and other 
nations. 



96 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 630. — Hebrew Expressions of Grief. 



488. The word "Jeremiad" is hence derived. The book containing 
them is only second, however, in importance to that of Isaiah, which 
it follows. The language of Jeremiah is scarcely so grand as that oi 
his great predecessor, but the reason of this may be that he is mostly 
taken up with the gentler passions of grief and pity, for the expression 
of which Jeremiah had a peculiar talent. He had an irresistible sympathy 
with the miserable, which found utterance in the most touching descrip- 
tions of their condition. His book of Lamentations is an astonishing 
exhibition of his power to accumulate images of sorrow. There can 
be no doubt, from the instance of Jeremiah, that God raises up particular 
minds for special works, to which they are by his providence especially 
adapted. 

489. Wh^ did the ancients streTV ashes upon their 
heads as a token of mourning? 

Because ashes have, from the earhest times, imybohzed 
human frailty, deep humiHation, and mortahty. 



490. Not only from Genesis to the last .book in the Bible, but 

throughout all ancient literature, 
we find the custom alluded to. 
Homer, Virgil, and Ovid fre- 
quently introduce the circum- 
stance; to be unkempt, and to 
sprinkle dust upon the hair is, 
indeed, an universal emblem of 
a dis.turbed mind — the direct 
antithesis of joy, which is shown 
by washing and anointing the 
head. 

Renting the garments had 
the same signification, and for 
the same reason, because nothing 
indicates a low or abject state, 
whether mental or material, more 
than the appearance in torn or 
ragged garments. A person who 
should make his entry into a 
company in this guise would 
excite either pity or derision. 

Rending the garments was 
sometimes expressive of a dif- 
ferent kind of passion. In secu- 
lar history we have many in- 
stances. Dion. Cassius relates 
that the consul Paulus rent his 
garments through > indignation. 
Caesar does the same when about 
to appease the multitude. Au- 
gustus rends his garment at the 
proposal of the dictatorship, and 
he is said to have done the sanie 
on hearing of the defeat of 

RENDING THE GARMENTS. VaruS. 




KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 629-580.— History ol Jeremiah. 



The zvearing of sackcloth had a similar meaning, and was generally 
an accompaniment of the two preceding methods of expressing great grief 
or compunction. The term is derived from two purely Hebrew words, and 
has spread into all languages. The prophets were generally clothed in 
sackcloth. In times of great trouble, in penitence, the Jews universally 
put on sackcloth. The article itself was of a course black fabric, com- 
monlv made of hair. Hence, haircloth as worn by ascetics, and even kings, 
in the middle ages. 

HISTORY OF JEREMIAH. 

The name of this prophet signifies "raised up," or ''appointed by 
God." He was the son of Hilkiah, a priest of Anathoth, in the land 
of Benjamin. Jeremiah was very young when the word of the Lord 
first came to him (Jer. i. 6). This event took place in the thirteenth 
year of Joslali (B.C. 629), whilst the youthi'ul prophet still lived at 
Anathoth. It would seem that he remained in his native city several 
years; but at length, in order to escape the persecution of his fellow- 
townsmen, and even of his own family, as well as to have a wider field 
for his exertions, he went to Jerusalem. Encouraged by Jeremiah, King 
Josiah corrin;enced numerous thorough reforms; he broke down the groves 
and the idols, and restored the true worship. He ordered large repairs of 
the temple to be carried out, and the money, which the priests had 
diverted to their own uses, to be given to the workmen. During the 
progress of these repairs, a copy of the law of Moses was ^ound in the 
temple by Hilkiah the priest, and Shaphan the scribe, who brought it to 
Josiah. The king, greatly moved by a perusal of this document, sought 
to enforce its precepts upon his wayward people. The effect, whatever 
it might be, was but transient, and upon the death of Josiah it was 
totally obliterated. His successor, Jehoiakim, was a man of a difTerent 
stamp. He had been upon the throne but a few days, when the apostate 
priests and people were emboldened to seize the person of Jeremiah, to 
lead him before the tribunals, and to demand his blood in return for 
the denunciations which he, as a prophet ol Jehovah, had been com- 
missioned to deliver. 

It appears, however, that it was owing to the personal influence of 
one or two of the king's counselors rather than to any feeling generally 
favorable to Jeremiah on the part of the king, that his li.'e was pre- 
served. He was thrust into prison, or, as he says (Jer. xxxvi. 5), "shut 
up," and obliged to continue his denunciations through the medium of 
a deputy. This deputy he found in the prophet Baruch, who wrote the 
predictions from Jeremiah's dictation, and then intrepidly read them in 
public to the Jews upon the last-day. But the conduct of Baruch was 
not long in exciting the anger of Jehoiakim; and Jeremiah, who had 
obtained his liberty, was, with his scribe, advised to hide himself. 

The writings of Jeremiah, and which Baruch had publicly read, 
were procured by the king, and by him publicly burnt. Upon which 
occasion the Scripture narrative adds, "and the king and all his servants 
and the priests were not afraid, nor did they rend their garments." 
In fact, they had become case-hardened. The following year Nebuchad- 
nezzar came with his army, and Jehoiakim heading a sally of the garrison 
lost his life, and his dead body lay as Jeremiah had prdicted, "rotten, 
and cast forth without the gates of Jerusalem." 

The Assyrian army under Nebuchadnezzar was, in consequence of a 
diversion from the side of Egypt, withdrawn from Judea, but returned 
again in three months. Meantime, Jehoiachin, a son of the late king. 



98 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 629-580. — The Captivity in Babylon. 



had been proclaimed, but immediately submitted to the Assyrians; spite 
of which, he was deposed by Nebuchadnezzar, and replaced by Zedekiah 
his brother. The principal inhabitants of Jerusalem were now led away 
into Babylon, and the seventy years' captivity commenced. The Jews 
felt humbled and weakened, but their pride was still too strong to allow 
them to bear the notion of being subject to Babylon. A revolt was 
meditated; Jeremiah was consulted, to learn what might be its probable 
issue. True to his mission, the prophet forbade them to hope for success, 
but bade them humble themselves before God. This advice was regarded 
as an insult. Jeremiah was looked upon as a traitor, and cast into 
prison. 

An incident occurred at this juncture which illustrates the character 
of the Hebrew king and people. Before the revolt, to give his policy the 
appearance of a religious act, Zedekiah made a solemn covenant with God 
to keep his laws, and the princes set all their brethren free who had 
become slaves from debt. The King of Egypt, by a tacit agreement with 
Zedekiah, appeared before the Assyrian camp, which caused Nebuchadnezzar 
for a moment to raise the siege of Jerusalem. Here upon Zedekiah, 
making sure that the Assyrians would never return, and thinking that 
now he and his people were no longer in danger from them, seized upon/ 
their released bondsmen, and abandond all their promises and covenants. 
Of course the enemy returned: and when once more they saw that 
Nebuchadnezzar was upon them, they could comfort themselves in no 
other way than by ordering Jeremiah to be cast into a pit, to die of 
starvation. The end of Zedekiah is known. A captive in Babylon, he 
was condemned to witness the mutilation and death of his two sons, to 
be followed by his own. He died in Babylon, B.C. 580. 

Nothwithstanding the sentence of Zedekiah, Jeremiah survived to 
behold the sad fulfilment of all his darkest predictions. He witnessed 
all the horrors of the famine, and when that had done its work, the 
triumph of the enemy. He saw the stronghold of Zion cast down, the 
palace of Solomon, the temple of God, with all its courts, its roofs of 
cedar and of gold, levelled to the earth, or committed to the flames, and 
the sacred vestments and vessels pillaged by profane hands. What were 
the feelings of a patriotic and religious Jew at that tremendous crisis, 
he has left on record in his unrivalled elegies, which combine the truth 
of history with the deepest pathos of poetry. 

No sooner were the words of Jeremiah justified by the judgment that 
came on Jerusalem, than the remnant which remained behind assembled 
to consult him whether they should stay in Judea or go down to Egypt. 
Jeremiah answered them from God, that whoever should stay peaceably 
in Judea, subject to the Chaldeans, would save his life but whoever should 
go down to Egypt should die there by the sword of the Chaldeans. The 
people to whom he gave this answer again accused him of being a 
traitor, and elected to go to Egypt, and to take Jeremiah with them. 
In Egypt, Jeremiah had good occasion to renew his denunciations. He 
found the scattered Jews there given up to all the abominations of the 
heathen, and accordingly warned them of the anger of God. The general 
tenor of their reply may be summed up in their own words, "As for the 
word thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not 
hearken to thee." With this ended the prophet's ministry. He appears 
to have died ^f grief during the captivity in Egypt. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 99 

B.C. 629-580.— The Prophet Ezekiel. 

491. V/hat are the Lamentations? 

They are the work of the prophet Jeremiah, and deplore 
in a series of pathetic strains the accomplishment of those 
prophecies already uttered by him. 

492. The Lamentations were written in meter, and consist of plain- 
tive effusions, composed upon the plan of the funeral dirges, all upon 
the same subject, and uttered as they rose in the mind of the prophet. 
They were subsequently arranged as we at present see them. The 
Lamentations are naturally divided into five parts, each of which is a 
distinct elegy, consisting of twenty-two periods, corresponding with the 
numbers of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. In the first four elegies the 
several periods commence, as an acrostic, with the different letters fol- 
lowing each other in alphabetical arder. In the first, second, and fourth 
elegy, Jeremiah addresses the people in his own person, or else person- 
ifies Jerusalem, and introduces that city as a character; the third part 
is supposed to be uttered by a chorus of Jews, represented by their leader; 
and in the fifth, the whole nation of the Jews, on being led into captivity, 
pour forth their united complaints to Almighty God. The Lamentations 
were written subsequently to the subversion of the kingdom of Judah. 

493. Wh^ rvas the prophet Ezekiel raised up? 
For a purpose very similar to that of his contemporary 
Jeremiah. 



494. Ezekiel was carried away captive to Babylon with Jehoiachin, 
King of Judah (B.C. 598), and was placed, with many others of his country- 
men, upon the river Chebar, in Mesopotamia, where he was favored with 
the divine revelations contained in his book. 

This book may be considered under the five following divisions : — 
The first three chapters describe the glorious appearance of God to the 
prophet, and his solemn . appointment to his office, with instructions and 
encouragements for the discharge of it. From the fourth to the twenty- 
fourth inclusive, he describes, under a variety of visions and similitudes, 
the calamities impending over Judea, and the total destruction of the 
temple and city of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, occasionally predicting 
another period of still greater desolation and more general dispersion (the 
final siege and fall of Jerusalem under Titus). From the beginning of the 
twenty-fifth to the end of the thirty-second chapter, the prophet foretells 
the conquest and ruin of many nations and cities, which had insulted the 
Jews in their affliction; of the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Edomites, and 
the Philistines: of Tyre, of Sidom, and of Egypt; all of which were to be 
Dunished by the same mighty instrument of (3od's wrath (the Romans). 
From the thirty-second to the fortieth chapter, he inveighs against the 
accumulated sins of the Jews collectively, and the murmuring spirit of 
his captive brethren; exhorts them earnestly to repent of their hypocrisy 
and wickedness, upon the assurance that God will accept sincere repent- 
ance; and comforts them with promises of approaching deliverance under 
Cyrus, subjoining intimations of some far more glorious, but distant 
redemption under the Messiah, though the manner in which it is to be 
affected is deeply involved in mystery. The last nine chapters contain a 
remarkable vision of the structure of a new temple and a new polity, 



00 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 629-580.— The Prophet Daniel. 



applicable, in the first instance, to the return from the Babylonian captivity, 
but in its ultimate sense referring to the glory and prosperity of the uni- 
versal church of Christ. It ought also to be observed, that the last twelve 
chapters of this book bear a very strong resemblance to the concluding 
chapters of the "Revelation." 

495. Wh}) is the prophecy of Ezekicl concerning 
Eg^pt remarkable? 

Because it is within the power of the most ordinary ob- 
server to test its complete fulfillment. 

This prophecy is as follows: — 'T will make the rivers dry, and sell 
the land into the hand of the wicked; and I will make the land waste and 
all that is therein, by the hand of strangers. I the Lord have spoken it." 

'*Thus saith the Lord God, I will also destroy the idols, and I will 
cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more a 
prince of the land of Egypt. It shall be the basest of the nations, neither 
shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, 
that they shall no more rule over the nations. The young men of Aven and 
Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword, and these cities shall go into captivity." 
(Chapters xxix., xxx.) , 

The kingdom of Egypt, of which the prophet spoke thus, was at tne 
time a rival of the kingdom of Assyria, excelling in learning, and com- 
merce, and manufactures. Its temples and priests were famous all over the 
world; its armies were well appointed; and to all appearance, nothing was 
less likely than the accomplishment of this prophecy. And yet it has been 
literally fulfilled. Assyria subdued it, and afterwards it became subject 
to the Ptolemies — Greek adventurers, who settled in it, and kept the 
people in subjection. Then it became a Roman province. Next it passed 
under the' Arabian caliphs, and now it is a pachalic of the Turkish empire. 
The condition of the inhabitants is so degraded, that, in the country which 
was formerly the granary of the world, there are not now more than a 
couple of villages where the people know how to make bread. 

The ruins of its temples and idols are still standing, but the present 
inhabitants know nothing of their history. 

496. Why is the book of Daniel so called? 
Because it contains an account of those years of the 

Babylonian captivity with which the acts and prophecies of 
Daniel are connected. 



497. V/ho was Daniel? 

He was one of the children of the captivity (b. C. 
605), taken at an early age into the household of Nebuch- 
adnezzar. 



498. The book of Daniel states that, in the third year of Jehoiakim, 
King of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, came and besieged 
Jerusalem; that he took the city, sacking it, and conveying away a portion 
of the sacred vessels from the temple, "which he carried into the land of 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 101 

B.C. 629-580.— The Fiery Furnace. 



Shinar, to the house of his god;'* that moved by the beauty and intelli- 
gence of the Jewish children, he chose to order certain of them to be 
taken to his palace, and educated in all the learning and science of the 
Chaldeans. Among these were Daniel, Hanaiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 
These youths, however, had from their earliest days been faithful to the 
laws of God, and now refused to be defiled with the meats from the king's 
table, knowing that they had been offered to idols. God gave them great 
wisdom, and inclined the hearts of their masters towards them; and their 
wit and penetration was such, that they were serviceable to Nebuchadnezzar 
in the difficult affairs of his kingdom. In the second year of his reign this 
king had a dream of such a nature that his spirit was terrified, and notwith- 
standing its evident importance, the particulars of it went from his mind. 
His soothsayers and divining men are applied to to reveal the dream and its 
interpretation; but these conjurors are at fault. If the king will tell them 
his dream, they will undertake to interpret it; but this Nebuchadnezzar 
cannot do» and their remonstrances are met by the most terrible threats. 

499. Hon> did these threats concern Daniel and his 
companions-^ 

They had been ranked with the magicians and astro- 
logers, all of whom were included in the anger of Nebu- 
chadnezzar. 

500. Daniel, hearing of the cruel command of the king, ordering the 
magicians to be put to death, went to Arioch, the general of the army, and 
requested time to solve the question, and declare it to the king. He then 
returned to his house, and told the matter to his companions, Hananiah, 
Mishael and Azariah, bidding them to ask the mercy of the God of heaven 
concerning the secret. The same night this was revealed to Daniel; he 
returned thanks to God, and both revealed and interpreted the king's dream. 
(See paragraphs 559 — note.) 

501. Wh^ Were the three Hebrew children, Shadrach, 
Meshach, and Ahednego thrown into the fiery furnace? 

Because they refused to bow down and worship a 
golden image which Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 

502. The occasion of this erection was, that Daniel, having been ad- 
vanced to a high post in reward for his revelation from God to the king, 
and as the king's confidential officer, and having revealed thp tricks and 
impostures of the idol priests, they plotted against him. They represented 
that the king was being converted from the worship of the national idols to 
that of the God of Israel, which induced Nebuchadnezzar, as a proof of his 
orthodoxy, to set up the golden image. 

503. Wh}) Were the Hebrew children enabled to pass 
through the fire scatheless? 

Because they were protected miraculously by God, who 
sent an angel from heaven to shield them, and diffuse a cool 
atmosphere around them, even in the midst of the furnace 



102 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 580-530.— Belshazzar's Feast. 

504. Why TV as Nebuchadnezzar deprived of his rea- 
son, and made to dwell with the beasts of the field? 

Because he had in his pride exahed himself to be wor- 
shipped as a god. 

505. But although this king was punished by the loss of his senses, 
and his reduction to the level of a brute beast, it would appear that this 
calamity was the means of his ultimate conversion. His last words, re- 
corded in chapter iv., would seem to indicate that, having regained his 
reason, he ended his life in the observance of the worship of the true God. 

506. IVhat ivas the occasion of the handwriting on the 
wall which appeared to Belshazzar ? 

That impious prince and grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, 
having, at a royal feast, used the sacred vessels which had 
been carried away from the temple, God sent this terrible 
indication of his impending punishment. 

507. The wisdom of the Chaldean soothsayers being totally incompetent 
to interpret this mysterious handwrititng, Daniel is ailed, and by the 
illumination of Jehovah he reads and explains its meaning. Scarcely, how- 
ever, has the interpretation been proclaimed, than the fulfilment of the 
prophecy follows. Belshazzar had been informed by Daniel that God had 
numbered his days and ended them — that he had been weighed in the 
balances and found wanting — that his kingdom was divided and given to 
the Medes and Persian, **and the same night Belshazzar, the king of the 
Chaldeans, was slain, and Darius the Median took his kingdom." (Dan. v. 
26-3L) 

508. Why Was Daniel thrown into the den of lions? 

Because, having been advanced by Darius and being a 
Jew, the Medes were jealous of him and invented a plot 
to ruin him. 

509. Daniel had revealed to King Darius some tricks and impostures 
of the idol priests, who were, in consequence, greatly incensed against him. 
They and their confederates, therefore^ procured from Darius an order con- 
cerning worship, which they well knew, Daniel, as a Jew, would disobey; 
thus they would be able to show the king that he was no loyal subject, but 
a contemner of the royal decree. 

510. Why could not Darius, upon convicting Daniel 
of this act of disobedience, relieve him of the penalty? 

Because it was' a maxim with the Medes and Persians 
that all laws promulgated under the king's seal were irre- 
versible. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 103 



B.C. 530. — Remarkable Prophecies. 



51L The penalty provided for the crime was the being cast alive into 
a den of lions. However much Darius might wish to exempt Daniel from 
this punishment, he dared not openly go against the usages of the realm, 
especially in favor of one who was an alien and one of a despised nation. 

512. Horv Tvas Daniel preserved from the lions? 

He was again miraculously protected. God sent an 
angel who shut the mouths of the lions. 

513. The penalty had been inflicted, and the honor of the king saved. 
The latter now, punishing the accusers of his favorite servant, advanced 
him still higher in honors : "So Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, 
and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian." (Dan. vi. 28.) 

514. Wh}) are prophecies of DanieL T^ith which the 
last six chapters of his boof^ concludes, particularly) inter- 
esting-'^ 

Because, although they point to the coming of the 
Messiah, in common with those of several of the other 
prophets, they are distinguishable from them inasmuch as 
they indicate the very time and date of his appearing. 

515. Daniel determines the time of His coming in two ways:— 1. By 
describing the four empires which were to precede Him; and 2. By fixing 
the actual date, from a particular event in the Jewish history. It is a 
noteworthy fact, that because the times thus clearly fixed by Daniel are 
now gone by, and the Messiah (of their imagination) not having appeared, 
the later Rabbins have been driven to reject the authority oi Daniel, whom 
they now, in revenge, declare to have been no true prophet. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE TWELVE MINOR PROPHETS. 

516. Wh]) rvas the prophet Hosea sent to the Jexvs? 
To supply the place of the prophet Amos when the 

latter had been banished from Israel to the kingdom of 
Judah. 

517. Although placed before the prophecy of Amos in the order of the 
Biblical books, Hosea was later in point of time. He is reckoned the first 
of the Lesser Prophets; which word Lesser does not apply to the import- 
ance of the matter communicated, but to the length of the books which 
contain the prophecies. 

Hosea, Joel and Amos were contemporaries, living in the reign of 
Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel, and Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and 
Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 



104 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

The Prophets Hosea, Joel and Amos. 



The prophets were not only messengers sent, but were, in most in-- 
stances, types in their own persons of the prophecies themselves. Their 
names were sometimes very significant of the motive of their ofhce; as, for 
instance, Hosea signifies "a savior," and implied that his message was a 
means by which salvation might be brought to the Jews, if they chose to 
hearken to it. Or their acts and behavior were so many acted allegories 
of what was afterwards to happen. 

518. HoTD is this statement illustrated in the prophecy 
of Hosea? 

In the commencement of the book (i. 2,) the prophet is 
told to take to wife a woman who was known to have 
sinned against the law, in order to show by an allegory how 
Israel had allied itself to the corruptions of heathendom. 

519. The book of Hosea is a series of reproaches against the people 
of Israel for their unfaithfulness to Jehovah and his laws, mingled with 
prophecies of their punishment and, finally, of the coming of the Messiah. 
The priests generally had gone with their kings, and made no scruple in 
offering up sacrifices to any or every idol which the ever varying heresy of 
the day brought into fashion. Hosea's warning, addressed to these, shows 
how they ought to have instructed the people, and how God would visit 
them for their neglect of duty. The prophet next addresses himself to the 
people, and warns them not to trust in the calf of Bethel, nor in the help 
of either Egypt or Assyria. He then predicts their long servitude and 
captivity in Assyria, and the book concludes with some references to the 
future Christian system. 

520. Why Tpas the prophet Joel sent from God? 

His mission was similar to that of Hosea; the scene of 
his preaching being the kingdom of Judah, while that of 
the former was Israel. 

521. The name of Joel signifies **the Lord God," or "the coming down 
of God." The book containing his prophecies is very short, consisting 
of three chapters only; but these are full of the most sublime imagery, and 
are of a most solemn character. Of his person little is known. He was 
the son of Pethuel, and prophesied before the subversion of Judah, but 
when that event was fast approaching — in the reign, as some think, of 
Manasseh; or, according to others, of Josiah. 

522. Wh}) was the prophet Amos sent? 

Because of the general corruption which had fallen 
upon Israel through the conduct of the first king Jeroboam 
in setting up the false worship in Bethel and in Dan. 

523. Amos commenced his difficult ministry by speaking against the 
idolatrous altars. The first six chapters are occupied with these exhorta- 
tions. Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, hereupon sent to Jeroboam H., king 
of Israel, saying: — "Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 105 



The Prophets Obadiah and Jonah. 



house of Israel; the land is not able to bear his words." He represents 
that his prophecy of the king's death is an act of treason, and deserving of 
banishment at the least. Amos defends his conduct. He was not a prophet 
strictly speaking; he had been but a simple herdsman. While with his 
cattle, the message of the Lord had come to him, and he had no alternative 
but to deliver it. His remonstrance had but little effect. Amos was 
banished the kingdom, and took refuge in Judah. 

524. Who was the prophet Obadiah? 

He was a contemporary of Amos, Hosea, and Joel, 
and was sent for a similar purpose. 

525. The prophecy of Obadiah is the shortest of all the Lesser 
Prophets, but yields to none in the sublimity of its subject and diction. 

526. Wh^ are the person and prophecy of Jonah par- 
ticularl]) interesting? 

Because the prophet was a remarkable type of Jesus 
Christ, and is referred to as such by our Savior himself. 

527. Jonah lived in the time of the second Jeroboam (2 Kings xiv. 
25), to whom he foretold his success in restoring the borders of Israel. 
He was o( Gath-hepher, in the tribe of Zebulon, and consequently of 
Galilee. This is important to remember, as confuting the assertion of the 
Pharisees (John vii. 52) that «o prophet ever rose out of Galilee. He was 
the only one among the prophets who was sent to preach to the Gentiles. 

528. Why did Jonah, when sent to Nineveh to de- 
nounce judgment against it, fly to Tarshish *'from the face 
of the Lord'*? 

Because, knowing the mercy and long-suffering of God 
for those who repent, and foreseeing that the repentance of 
the Ninevites would avert from their city its threatened 
destruction, he feared to be reputed as a false prophet. 

529. Jonah's flight obliged him to take ship at Joppa. No sooner is 
he aboard and the vessel under way, than the pursuing hand of God 
raises a great wind, by which the crew and passengers are tossed about 
to the peril of their lives. The mariners are terrified. Most probably 
there was something of an unusual character in the force and violence of 
the tempest. They cry out to heaven — they throw overboard the heavy 
goods, but in vain; the storm continues — Jonah is found asleep in the midst 
of this peril, and he, being awakened, is asked why he does not rise and 
call upon his God. But the impression has got hold of these mariners that 
some person is on board whose presence in an offense to God, and is the 
cause of their peril. To discover who this might be lots are cast, "and 
the lot fell upon Jonah.'* He is asked his name, his country, and his 
errand. Being informed of these they endeavor once more to row to land. 
But this is useless, the storm still rages fiercely, and, against their will. 



06 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



The Prophets Jonah and Micah. 



they throw Jonah into the sea. A calm immediately ensues, and the men 
acknowledge the power of God — **They offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, 
and made vows." 

530. Wh^ was Jonah swallowed b^ a great fish^ 
Because it was the purpose of God thus miraculously 

to preserve him alive, that he might afterwards fulfill his 

mission to the Ninevites. 

53L Accordingly, after three days, God caused the fish to approach 
the land and to deposit the prophet, upon it unscathed. He now proceeds 
upon his errand, and by the earnestness of his warnings awakens the 
Ninevites to a temporary repentance; which has the effect anticipated by 
Jonah. The anger of God is turned away, and they are pardoned. 

532. Wh^ Was Jonah displeased ''and ver^ angr^*' 
(iv. 1) that God should spare Nineveh? 

Because, 1 , he expected now to be reputed as a false 
prophet; 2, he feared that God's word, by this occasion/ 
might come to be slighted and disbelieved. 

533. Wh^ did the gourd spring up so rapidly over 
JonaKs booths and as rapidly disappear? 

To show the prophet that all things were in the hand of 
God, and that He could do whatsoever He pleased with 
His creatures. 

534. After the delivery of his warning against Nineveh, Jonah betook 
himself to a booth in the environs; or, in the words of the text (Jonah 
iv. 5), "He made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he 
might see what would become of the city." God caused a gourd (or 
kind of Palma christi, according to some commentators) to spring up 
miraculously, which afforded a thick shelter over the booth of the prophet. 
Jonah rejoiced in his gourd. But as rapidly as it had grown, so, by 
means of a worm which was sent to attack it, did it as rapidly wither. 
This was a new grief to Jonah. He gives vent to his complaint that God 
had deprived him of his sheltering plant. God then convinces the prophet 
of his narrow-mindedness, inasmuch as he could mourn for the withering 
of a gourd, but had no feeling for the thousands of men, women, and 
children, whom God had spared in Neneveh. 

535. At what period did the prophet Micah live? 
He was a Morasthite, or native of Moresheth, a small 

town of Judah, a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah, and 
was sent to preach in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Heze- 
kiah, kings of Judah (B.C. about 750). 

536. He is not to be confounded with the Micaiah mentioned in 1 
Kings xxii., who lived a hundred and fifty years before. Micah's 
prophecies were chiefly concerning Samaria, although he had to denounce 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 107 



Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah. 



the anger of God against Jerusalem, whose destruction he foreshows, 
even descending to the particular fate which befell Mount Zion many- 
hundred years afterwards. He speaks of the plowing up of its site, 
which actualy occurred under the Roman emperors. His references to 
the coming Messiah are remarkable in that he mentions the very birth- 
place of Jesus Christ. That memorable passage — "But thou Bethlehem 
Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out 
of thee shall He come unto me that is to be ruler in Israel: whose goings 
forth have been from of old, from everlasting" — occurs in chapter v. 
verse 2 of Micah's prophecy. The style of this book is characterized 
as forcible, pointed, and concise, always poetical, sometimes sublime. 
Micah is full of feeling, and his prophecies are penetrated by the purest 
spirit of morality and piety, 

537. What rvas the object of Nahums prophecy? 
He was sentr during the reign of Hezekiah, king of 

Judah, after the irruption of the Assyrians into that king- 
dom had commenced, to warn his countrymen of God's 
anger and the consequences of their sins. He predicted 
the fatal end of that invasion — the captivity of the Jews — 
and the destruction of Nineveh itself. 

538. He appeared about fifty years after Jonah, when the Ninevites 
had relapsed. The destruction of Nineveh was declared as a foreshadow- 
ing of the subversion of idolatry by the establishment of Christianity. 
The name of Nahum signifies "a comforter." He is described as "the 
Elkoshite," from the place of his birth, which, according to St. Jerome, 
was Helkesi, a little town of Galilee. Nahum was, therefore, another 
proof of the falsehood of the Pharisees' declaration concerning that province. 

539. Why the prophet Hahakk^k sen/ irom God? 
He was sent to warn the kingdom of Judah of the 

invasion of the Chaldeans (B.C. about 600). 

540. Habakkuk lived to see this prediction fulfilled; and many years 
after, according to the general opinion, foreseeing that Nebuchadnezzar 
would take Jerusalem, he escaped, on the approach of the Chaldean army, 
to Astracin, a town in Arabia, near Lake Sarbonis. When the Chaldeans 
returned to their own country after the conquest of Jerusalem, Habakkuk 
came back to Judea, and died (B.C. 538) two years before the return of 
the Jews from Babylon. Psuedo Epiphanius says he was honorably 
buried at his native city. Beth-socher, in the tribe of Simeon. In the 
prayer (Hab. iii.). the appearance of Christ, the last judgment, and 
eternity are mentioned in the most sublime style. 

541. Who TDas Zephaniah? 

He was a prophet sent in the beginning of the reign of 
Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah (B.C. about 
630), to denounce the sins of the Jews — their idolatry and 



108 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

The Prophets Haggai and Zechariah. 

other crimes — and to for show to them the punishments that 
were to come upon them and upon other nations for the 
same causes. 

542. Zephaniah, whose name signifies "the watchman of the Lord," 
was the son of Cushi, a Simeonite, and a native of Mount Sarabatha, an 
elevated region of Lebanon. His style is not so grand as that of most 
other prophets, but this only shows that God calls whom he pleases, and 
uses instruments of various kinds and accomplishments. Notwithstanding 
this, the authenticity of the book of Zephaniah has never been called in 
question. 

543. IVh}) Tvas the prophet Haggai sent? 

Because his being a message of mercy and encourage- 
ment, and occurring after the return from the captivity of 
Babylon, he was a means to stimulate the children of Israel 
and Judah in the rebuilding of their temple. 

544. Haggai was probably born at Babylon, or in some other town 
of the Babylonian empire to which the captive Jews had been consigned. 
It is not known where he died. There has never been any doubt about 
the authenticity of this book. Its prophecies are referred to in Ezra iv. 24, 
and there is a quotation of Haggai ii. 7 in Hebrews xii. 26. The 
prophecies were all most strikingly fulfilled. In the rebuilding of their 
second temple, the Jews had been much annoyed by their rivals the 
Samaritans. In consequence, however, of the exhortations of Haggai, they 
proceeded with the building and finished it. Among the encouragements 
offered to the Jews, the prophet was commanded to assure them that this 
second temple should be more glorious than the first, because the Messiah 
should honor it with his presence; signifying, also, how much the church 
of the New Testament should excel that of the Old. That, in a material 
sense, the second temple was inferior to the first admits of no doubt. The 
seventh verse of the second chapter of this book clearly shows in what 
it should excel the former: "And I will shake all nations, and the desirb 
OF ALL NATIONS SHALL COME, and I will fill this house with glory, saith 
the Lord." 

545. What was the object of ZechariaKs prophc^? 

It was intended, like that of Haggai. to stimulate the 
returned captives to rebuild the temple, and restore the 
regular worship of God; and to encourage their faith and 
hope with the promise of a Messiah. 

546. Zechariah began to prophesy in the same year as Haggai. His 
prophecies are full of symbolism, and rather dark in their meanings; but, 
with reference to two subjects, he is plainer and more open than other 
prophets. These are the coming of Jesus Christ, and the last siege of 
Jerusalem. He lived nearer to those events than many of his fellows, and 
his references are proportionately clearer than theirs. In chapter ix. 
verse 9, is that remarkable passage, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of 
Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee; 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 109 



The Prophet Malachi. 



He is just, and having salvation; lowly and riding upon an ass, and upon a 
colt the foal of an ass.'' Wherein the actual appearance and equipage, 
so to speak of our Savior is delineated. In chapter xi. verse 12, the 
thirty pieces of silver for which our Lord was betrayed is mentioned; 
and in the 13th verse of the same chapter, their appropriation by the 
Jews in the purchase of the potter's field is alluded to. 

With regard to the last siege and destruction of Jerusalem, the 
prophet, in chapter xi., is very minute, although still figurative. • In verse 
6, the final strife is mentioned — the factions who warred with each other — 
every one against his negihbor — tallying exactly with Josephus' descrip- 
tion of the actual fact, as it afterwards occurred. 



547. Wh]) is the book of the Prophecies of Malachi 
placed last among the canonical books? 

1 . Because the subjects of his prophecies arrange them- 
selves naturally in that place. 2. Because after him no 
prophet was recognized in Israel, or by Christians, until 
John the Baptist. 



548. Malachi, whose name signifies ''the angel of the Lord," was con- 
temporary with Nehemiah, and by some is believed to have been the same 
person with Esdras. He was the last of the prophets in the order of time, 
and lived about four hundred years before Christ. He foretells the coming 
of Christ in a very striking manner; the reprobation of the Jews and their 
sacrifices; and the calling of the Geptiles, who shall offer up to God in 
every place an acceptable sacrifice. He also clearly speaks of the two- 
fold coming of Christ, preceded by the Baptist and by Elijah. He inveighs 
against the same crimes as Nehemah, to whose covenant he alludes (Mai. 
ii. 4). The prophecy of Malachi respecting St. John the Baptist (Mai. 
iii. 1) has been considered, both by Jews and Christians, as one of the 
niost remarkable and important in the whole Scriptures. The prophecies 
of Haggai and Zechariah were delivered during the building of the second 
temple; that of Malachi was given some years after its completion, when 
Nehemiah was ''governor." The allusion in chapter i. verse 8, is evidently 
made to him. With Malachi the race of Old Testament prophets ceased. 
The Jews reckoned that this prophetical reign lasted only forty years 
after the completion of the second temple. 

NOTE ON THE PERIOD OF THE LATER PROPHETS. 

With the death of Malachi, the prophetical dispensation terminated. 
It will be important to observe what was going on in the nations imme- 
diately surrounding the devoted land of Judea. 

In the year B.C. 335, Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, passed 
out of Europe into Asia, and began to lay waste the Persian empire. 



110 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE, 



B.C. 335-320.— Rise and Fall of Greek Empire. 



Manasses, brother to Jaddus, the high priest at Jerusalem, refusing to 
put away his strange wife, was driven from the sacrifice; and Sanballath, 
his father-in-law, governor of Samaria, having revolted from Darius, 
applied to the rising conqueror of the East for permission to erect a 

temple on Mount Gerizim. Alexander 
granted his request. The schismatical 
temple was erected, and Manasses made 
high priest thereof. To this new sanc- 
tuary now resorted all such, as were 
entangled in unlawful marriage, and, in 
fact, all those, who, not wishing to leave 
their own country entirely, were still not 
safe at Jerusalem. This was the origin 
of the hated Samaritan scandal. 




ALEXANDER, SURNAMED 
THE GREAT. 



Alexander marched to Jerusalem, 
intending to besiege it. Jaddus, the high 
priest, hearing of his approach, arrays 
himself in his sacerdotal vestments, and 
accompanied by a concourse of people all 
in white, goes out to meet him. This 
striking manifestation has its effect upon 
the impressible mind of the youthful 
Alexander, who at their approach pros- 
trates himself, and, rising, inform.s the 
high priest that, whilst he was in Mace- 
donia, a man appeared fo him in the very same habit, who invited him 
to come into Asia, and promised to deliver the Persian empire into his 
hands. He then proceeds to the temple, and oflPers sacrifice to the God 
of heaven, acording to the high priest's direction. He is shown the 
prophecy of Daniel, and without much 
difficulty, is persuaded that he is the 
Greek destined to subvert the Persian 
dynasty. 

The event verified this prediction, 
for, in B.C. 330, the Persians are over- 
come, Darius slain, and Alexander remains 
master of the whole eastern world. In 
B.C. 323, Alexander, having reigned six 
years and ten months, died; his army and 
dominions being divided between his 
principal generals. Antigonus becomes 
master of Asia; Seleucus of Babylon and 
the bordering nations; Lysimachus of the 
Hellespont; Cassander, Macedon; and 
Ptolomeus, Egypt. 

In B.C. 320, Ptolomeus Soter, by a 
stratagem, made himself master of Jeru- 
salem. Entering the city upon the Sab- 
bath, when he knew the Jews would be 
engaged in their sacrificial rites, under 
pretense of assisting at them, he captured 
it without resistance, and made the prin- 
cipal inhabitants captives. Ptolomeus sent 
many of these into Egypt, and here his 
enmity towards them terminated, for we 

find that he gave them special privileges, and placed great confidence 
in their wisdom and general integrity. At the death of this king, his 




GREEK HEATHEN PRIEST, WITH 
GOAT FOB SACRIFICE. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Ill 



B.C. 277. — Greeks invade Judea. 



son, Ptolomeus Philadelphus, reigned over Egypt, and being a great 
favorer of learning and learned men, he built the celebrated Alexandrine 
library. It was by his direction and patronage that the invaluable 
Septuagint was composed (B.C. 277), 

The succeeding events brings us to the period at which the dis- 
tinguished family of the Maccabees flourished, and are interesting 
both from their own nature and as throwing a light upon the manners of 
the age and peoples of the East. 

In the year B.C. 177, one Simon, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, was 
governor of the temple of Jerusalem, Onias being then high priest. 
Owing to some unexplained causes of quarrel, these functionaries nourish 
d hatred the one for the other; and the former, in order to further his 
revenge, goes to Apollonius, the governor of Ccelo-Syria, and informs 
him that there is a vast treasure hidden in the temple. Apollonius 
acquaints his sovereign, Seleucus, with this fact, and the latter sends 
Heliodorus, his treasurer, to Jerusalem to bring away the money. 
Heliodorus, entering the temple, is by angels struck down in the very 
place, and carried from thence half dead; but, by the prayers of Onias, he 
is soon after restored to health. Returning to his master Seleucus, 
Heliodorus magnifies the holiness of the temple, and the power of God 
dwelling in it. 

The following year Seleucus died, and was succeeded on the throne of 
Syria by Antiochus Epiphanes. By means of some valuable presents, one 
Jason contrives to get appointed by him to the office of high priest: but 
Menelaus brother to Simon the traitor, being employed by Jason to convey 
the bribe to Antiochus Epiphanes, contrives, by the offer of a higher sum, 
to get the high priesthood conferred upon himself. This imbroglio brings 
Jerusalem into trouble with the heathen; 
for Menelaus, once installed fails to pay the 
stipulated price, and defies the king. An- 
tiochus then marches to Jerusalem, besieges 
and takes it, slaughtering a vast number 
of its inhabitants, and selling into slavery 
many thousands of them. Not content with 
this revenge, Antiochus endeavors to abol- 
ish the Jewish worship and ceremonial ; 
and it is worthy of remark, how futile 
every attempt to do this had hitherto failed, 
and was still doomed to fail. God had 
decreed a time for this consummation; 
and, until that time should arrive, the 
heathen might "enviously rage," but they 
would find themselves, in the words of the 
psalmist-prophet, imagining "a vain thing." 

Antiochus obtained nothing but some 
affectations of Greek usages. The temple 
worship remained intact; but the Samari- 
tans, probably out of hatred to the Jews, 
and not from any conviction, set up the 
worship of Jupiter on Mount Gerizim. 

It has been said that Antiochus gained 
nothing by his attempts to establish idol- 
atry at Jerusalem. His attempts, however, 

were no: easily foregone, and in theif adonis, a heathen 

prosecution he contrived to deluge the greek idol. 

holy city with blood. He issued an edict, commanding all the nations 




112 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



The History of Tobit. 



subject to him to observe uniformity of worship; to lay aside all peculiar 

or national customs; to profess 
the Greek religion; the pun- 
ishment of death being threat- 
ened unto such as should be 
disobedient. He set up the 
most severe and inexorable 
tribunals, presided over by 
judges of the most uncom- 
promising character. Of the 
Jews, many preferred to under- 
go the most cruel torments, 
rather than offer sacrifice to 
idols. These persecutions, and 
the heroic resistance offered 
to Epiphanes, form the subject 
of the earlier portions of the 
books of Maccabees, and were 
coeval with the decline of the 
Greek power under the grad- 
ually rising star of Rome. 




GREEK ALTAR. 



CHAPTER VII. 

APOCRYPHAL BOOKS. 

549. Why should the books called ''Apocrypha' be 
read and considered? 

Because they afford, by way of episodes, excellent 
pictures of the sufferings and manners of the Jews during 
the period of which they treat. 



I. THE HISTORY OF TOBIT. 

Prophet after prophet had spoken to Israel, and neither king nor 
people had repented. By the permission of God, therefore, the empire 
of Assyria made war upon and prevailed against it. Among the captives 
whom Shalmanezer, King of Assyria, removed to Nineveh, was Tobit, of 
the city and tribe of Napthali. When still young, this devout Israelite had 
ever refused to bow to the idols which Jeroboam had set up at Dan and 
at Bethel, but went up regularly to offer his tithes and first-fruits in the 
temple at Jerusalem. 

He married a wife of his own tribe, one Anna, and they had one 
son. who was also called Tobit. The elder Tobit prospered even in 
his captivity, and was permitted to go freely from city to city by Shai- 
manezer, who was favorable to him. In one of his journeys he encoun- 
tered a countryman, by name Gabael, of Rages, a city of Media, who was 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 1 1 3 

The History of Tobit. 



in deep want, and Tobit advanced him as a loan the sum of ten talents, 
taking his written acknowledgment for the money. After the death of 
Shalmanezer, as had happened before in Egypt, another king arose who 
knew not Tobit, and a persecution of the captives commenced, which was 
very bitter and hard to bear. The change was mainly brought about by 
the defeat of Sennacherib before Jerusalem (b.c. 710). The captive 
Israelites became so many marks for the revengeful shafts of the humbled 
Assyrians. It was a common occurence to stab them in the open streets, 
their bodies being left to be devoured by birds or the prowling dogs of 
Nineveh. The piety and patriotism of Tobit had herein an object for their 
exhibition. He seized every opportunity to sally forth, and render to 
the bodies of his compatriots the rites of sepulture. For a time he 
was enabled to do so without detection; but at length his acts were 
reported to the king, and he was marked for punishment. Tobit escaped 
assassination only through the death of Sennacherib, % ho was murdered 
bv his own sons. 

Undeterred by this risk, Tobit continued his pious ofRces to the 
dead, and as in the case of Job, it pleased God to try His servant with 
affliction. By an accident he lost his sight; he next fell into poverty; and, 
it is added, his wife reproached him with the uselessness of his previous 
virtue and faith. But Tobit's reliance upon God was not to be shaken; 
he repined not, but set to work to provide succors in tlieir distress. 
He remembered the debt owing to him by his friend Gabael in Rages, 
and dispatched his son to that city to demand its payment. It was 
necessary that the young Tobit should, if possible, have the companionship 
of some discreet and trustworthy guide among the strange lands and 
people to which his errand would lead him. Opportunely enough, such a 
guide presented himself. This was a divinely sent personage, the angel 
Raphael, who, in the guise of a native of Persia, offered his services. 
The young Tobit and his conductor then set out, and, after various ad- 
ventures, which it needs not to repeat here, they arrive at Rages, procure 
the money, return, and gladden the hearts of Tobit's parents. By the 
angel's help, the elder Tobit recovers his lost sight. The young man is 
well and happily married to a virtuous woman of his own nation, and it 
only remains to them to requite the services of the faithful guide, by 
whose means health, wealth, and domestic happiness had been restored to 
the pious family. They had blessed God for His goodness in sending them 
so invaluable a friend, but had no suspicion of his supernatural character. 
It was, indeed, a real trouble to find by what means an adequate recom- 
pense could be awarded to Azariah — such was the assumed name of 
Tobit's guide. He was called, and desired to tell them by what means 
they could acquit themselves of the obligation; but now, his errand over, 
the angel revealed himself. He told them that, out of regard to his 
prayers and alms, God had commissioned him, Raphael, to descend to 
earth to heal him, and to restore his prosperity. For all this they were 
only to bless and adore God. The parting admonition of Raphael is 
beautiful, and is as follows: — 

"Peace be to you, fear not. 

"For when I was with you, I was there by the will of God; bless ye 
Him, and sing praises to His name. 

'7 seemed to eat and drink with you; but I use an invisible meat and 
drink, which cannot be understood by men. 

"It is time, therefore, that I return to Him that sent me; but BJesi 
ye God, and publish all his wonderful works.*' 

Tobit and his family fell on their faces, and remained prostrate 
while the angelic messenger vanished from their sight. Afterwards the 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



History of Judith. 



spirit of prophecy fell upon the elder Tobit, and rising he foretold the 
future glory of Jerusalem, which is interpreted to mean the Christian 
church. 

He afterwards lived many years, and saw the children of his grand- 
children. 



II. HISTORY OF JUDITH. 

In the reign of Manasseh, King of Judah, the Assyrian monarch, 
Saos-ducejinus (Nebuchadnezzar), sent his general, Holofernes, with a large 
army, to subdue the people and cities of Syria. The approach of this 
army struck such terror and dismay into the hearts of the Syrians, that 
they went out on all sides to meet him with garlands, lights, and dances, 
timbrels and flutes, if possible to appease his fierceness. Joacim, the high 
priest of Jerusalem, seeing the danger that threatened Judah in common 
with the other people, went through all the cities, exhorting the Jews to 
humble themselves in sackcloth and ashes before God, and to pray for the 
Divine protection, while the men of war prepared to defend their 
country. Holofernes, hearing that the children of Israel were thus arousing 
themselves to resistance against his power, full of- amazement and indig- ' 
nation, called together the princes of Moab and Ammon, who had made 
their submission, and asked them, **What is this people that besetteth the 
mountains, that they alone have despised us, and not come out to meet 
us?" He received such an answer to this question from Achior, a prince 
of Ammon, as excited the Assyrian general to additional anger. From 
Achior he learned that the Jews were a distinct people; that their career 
had been one of wonders and prodigies; that they were the children of a 
high and sublime destiny; that if they were now in depression, it was the 
result of God's anger against them; that no weapon formed against them 
could prosper unless by the will of Heaven. If now they were serving 
God faithfully, Holofernes would in vain strive against them; with more 
to the same effect. 

The Assyrian was so irritated, that he could scarcely refrain from 
killing Achior. He, however, contented himself with binding him hand 
and foot, and setting him outside the gates ,of Bethulia, an Israelitish 
town which he was besieging. The Bethulians rescued Achior, and learned 
from him the murderous intentions of Holofernes; but the siege was kept 
up, and distress began to fill the city. The hearts of the Jews failed them, 
as they saw the moment approach when they must inevitably fall a prey 
to the cruel Holofernes. A council of war was held, and it was agreed 
that, unless relief came, they would yield the city at the end of five 
days. At this juncture a help sprang up from an unexpected quartei. 
Judith, a widow of the city heard of the despairing resolve, and sent 
to the council over whom Ozias the priest presided. "Who are ye," said 
she, "that thus tempt the Lord? This is not a word to draw down mercy, 
but indignation. You have set a time for the mercy of God, and have 
appointed Him a day according to your pleasure; let us rather humbly 
wait for His consolation." Ozias and the council recognized in Judith 
a special mission — a helper sent by God to whom it would be wise to defer. 
"All the words that thou hast spoken to us are true; now, therefore, 
pray for us, for thou art a holy woman, and one fearing God." Judith 
then said briefly that she and her maid would go to the Assyrian camp, 
but that they were not to search too curiously into her plans, and that 
nothing should be done but to pray for the success of them. Ozias 
answered, "Go in peace,, and the Lord be with thee to take revenge of 
our enemies." 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 115 

Susanna and the Elders. 



Judith returned home, and, ^oing into her oratory, she put on sack- 
cloth and covered her head with ashes; and she prayed before God, who 
had before humbled the Egyptians, who trusted in their chariots and 
horses, "that all nations may acknowledge that thou art God, and none 
other besides thee." Her prayer ended, Judith attired herself and went 
by night, with her maid carrying a basket of provisions, down the hill 
to the Assyrian camp. Early in the morning they met the watch of the 
enemy, who stopped them and demanded their errand. Judith, answered 
that she was a daughter of the Hebrews, and that she had fled from the 
city knowing that it must fall; that wishing to save her own life, she 
was come into their camp, and, moreover, that she had secret intelligence 
to give to Holofernes how the city might be taken. She was accordingly 
introduced to the tent of the Assyrian general, to whom she repeated her 
story. Holofernes was greatly smitten with the beauty and majesty of 
the Jewish matron, and gave orders that she should for three days have 
free passage to and from the camp. At the end of that time he gave a 
great supper to his officers, and invited Judith to grace the banquet with 
her presence. This she consented to do, provided she was not compelled 
to touch the food of the Assyrians, but was allowed, as a Hebrew, to 
cat from the basket of her attendant. At this banquet Holofernes became 
so exceedingly merry, that at its end he sank to the floor and slept the 
sleep of drunkenness. Judith at length found herself alone with the heathen 
general. She told her maid to stand before the chamber and watch. Then 
praying with tears for the assistance of God, she took down the sword 
of Holofernes from the pillar where it hung, and seizing him by the 
hair struck him twice and cut off his head. 

In the morning. Judith stood before the walls of Bethulia, her maid 
carrying the head of Holofernes in her bag. "Open the gates," cried 
Judith, "for God is with us!" There was no time to be lost in seizing 
the occasion which God had given them. The head of Holofernes was hung 
out upon the walls of the city, and every preparation was made for one 
bold and vigorous sally upon the Assyrian camp at the moment of their 
panic. Everything happened as had been foreseen by Judith. The dismay 
of the Assyrians on finding the headless trunk of their general was 
extreme. In the midst thereof, the imperuous onset of the Hebrews com- 
pleted the panic; they fled in all directions, and the siege was raised. 
Immense numbers were slain, and all the spoils of the army fell into the 
hands of the children of Israel. 



III. THE HISTORY OF SUSANNA. 

Susanna,* the wife of a rich Jew of Babylon, is, while in a garden 
attached to her own house, solicited to commit adultery by two elders or 
judges of the Jewish people: and although she foresees that her opposition 
to their wicked intentions will be followed by some revengeful acts on their 
part, she is enabled by her religious principles successfully to resist 
them. The judges, or elders, enraged at the repulse, call Susanna before 
a public assembly and testify that they caught her in the act of adultery in 
the garden. She is condemned to death for the offense. As the innocent 
victim is on the way to execution, Daniel, who seems to have had a 
knowledge of the character of these wicked judges from some extraneous 

* Signifying a lily — the type of chastity. 



1 1 6 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE, 

Bel and the Dragon. 



source, induces the people to institute a fresh examination of the evidence 
against her. He interrogates the elders separately, under what tree, or in 
what part of the garden they found the supposed adultress. The first 
answering that it was under a mastick tree, or lentish tree, Daniel immedi- 
ately pronounces his sentence in the words, "The angel of the Lord hath 
received the sentence to cut thee in two." The other answering that it 
was under an ilex tree, he condemns him by saying, "The angel of God 
waiteth to destroy thee." The people confirm the sentence of Daniel, and 
these false witnesses, who had been at once accusers ^nd judges, are 
executed in conformity with the laws of retaliation. 

The History of Susanna, although reckoned among the deutero-canonical 
books bv both Protestants and Catholics, is much esteemed by both 
Churches. In the Anglican Liturgy it occurs as a lesson on the 22nd of 
November; and in the Roman on the vigil of the fourth Sunday in Lent. 
Susanna is much quoted, and was a favorite subject with the old Italian 
painters. 



IV. THE HISTORY OF BEL AND THE DRAGON. 



Daniel,* on being invited by the King of Babylon to worship the 
idol Bel, pledges himself to prove that the idol does not consume the 
food set before him in large quantities. With this view, as soon as the 
food has been deposited, he orders every one to depart from the temple, 
and sprinkles the pavement with ashes, shuts the door and seals it with 
the royal signet. Early in the morning, the king and Daniel open the doojrs 
and enter the temple. They find the food consumed it is true, but at the 
same time discover in the ashes on the pavement the footsteps of the priests 
and of their wives and children, who had entered the temple at night 
by a secret door and devoured the food. On this account the king orders 
the idol Bel, which was made of earthenware overlaid with gold, to be 
broken in pieces. 

Daniel, again importuned by the king to adore a Dragon, who is rep- 
resented as an object of worship at Babylon, replies that he will undertake, 
unarmed, to destroy this supposed terrible deity. With the king's per- 
mission he offers the Dragon food prepared "of pitch, and fat, and hair 
seethed together," which the Dragon devours and immediately bursts 
asunder. The populace are excited by these outrages upon their gods, and 
rising tumultuously force the king to give up Daniel. The seditious multitude 
having cast him to the lions, he nevertheless remains unhurt, and on the 
sixth day receives food from Habakkuk, who had been supernaturally 
brought to his relief from a great distance, and who was taken back again 
to his home in a similar manner. The king, at last, finding Daniel unhurt, 
releases him and punishes his persecutors. 



V. THE TWO BOOKS OF MACCABEES. 



The Maccabees commenced their career of patriotic and religious 
heroism during the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, about the year 
B.C. 167. At this time the aged Mattathias, a descendant of the Asmonaeans, 

I 

* The period of the history is the same with that of Susanna, 
namely, during the Babylonish captivity. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 1 1 7 



B.C. 167-34. — The History of the Maccabees. 



and his five sons, inhabited the town of Modin. to which place Antiochus 
sent certain of his officers with instructions to erect an altar for heathen 
sacrifices, and to engage the inhabitants in the celebration of idolatrous 
and superstitious rites. The venerable Mattathias openly declared his 
resolution to oppose the orders of the tyrant, and one of the recreant Jews 
approaching the altar which had been set up, he rushed upon him, ana 
slew him with his own hand. His part thus boldly taken, he called his 
sons and his friends around him, and immediately fled to the mountains, 
inviting all to follow him who had any zeal for God and the law. A small 
band of resolute and devoted men was thus formed, and the governor of 
the district saw reason to fear that a general insurrection would be the 
consequence of their proceeding. By a sudden attack directed against 
them on the Sabbath, when he knew the strictness of their principles would 
not allow them to take measures for their defense, he threw them into 
disorder, and slew about a thousand of their number, consisting of men, 
women, and children. Warned by this event, and yielding to the necessity 
of their present conditions, Mattathias and his sons determined that 
for the future they would defend themselves on the Sabbath in the same 
manner as on other days. The mountain-hold of the little band was now 
guarded more cautiously than before. Fresh adherents to the holy cause 
were continually flocking in; and in a few months the party found itself 
sufficiently strong to make attacks upon the towns and villages of the 
neighborhood, throwing down the heathen altars, and punishing the repro- 
bates who had taken part with the enemies of God. 

By the death of Mattathias, the leadership of the party devolved 
upon his son Judas Maccabseus, whose worth and heroic courage pointed 
him out as most capable of carrying on the enterprise thus nobly begun. 
Judas lost no time in attacking the enemy. He made himself master ol 
several towns, which he fortified and garrisoned. Apollonius, general of 
the army in Samaria, hastened to stop the progress of the insurgents. Judas 
met him on the way, joined battle with him, slew him, and routed his 
army. The same success attended him in his encounter with Seron, general 
of the Syrians; and it now became evident to Antiochus that the Jewish 
nation would soon be delivered from his 'yoke, unless he proceeded against 
them with a more formidable force. While, therefore, he himself went 
into Persia to recruit his treasures, Lysias, whom he left as regent at 
home, sent an army into Judea, composed of forty thousand foot and 
seven thousand cavalry. This powerful array was further increased by 
auxiliaries from the provinces, and by bands of Jews, who dreaded nothing 
more than the triumph of those virtuous men of their own nation who 
were struggling to save it from reprobation. So unequal did the forces 
of Judas appear to an encounter with such an army, that in addressing 
his followers he urged those among them who had any special reason to 
love the present world to retire at once; while to those that remained he 
pointed out the promises of God as the best support of their courage and 
fidelity. By a forced march he reached a portion of the enemy encamped 
at Emmaus, while utterly unprepared for his approach. Complete success 
attended this bold proceeding. The several parts of the hostile army were 
successively put to flight, a splendid booty, was secured, and Judas gained 
a position which made even the most powerful of his opponents tremble. 
Another and more numerous army was sent against him the following year, 
but with no better success. At the head of ten thousand determined 
followers, Judas defeated the army of Lysias, consisting of sixty thousand. 
A way was thereby opened for his progress to Jerusalem, whither he 
immediately hastened, with the devout purpose of purifying the temple and 



18 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



B.C. 167-34.— The Maccabees. 




restoring it to its former glory. The solemn religious rites having been 
performed which were necessary to the cleansing of the sacred edifice, the 
festival of the purification was instituted and added to the number of the 
other national festivals of more ancient date. 

Judas had full occupation for his courage and ability in repelling the 
incursions of those numerous foes who dreaded the restoration of order 
and religion. But every day added to his successes. Having overthrown 

the Syrian commander sent 
against him, he occupied 
Samaria, made himself master 
of the strong cities of He- 
bron, of Azotus, and other 
important places, taking sig- 
nal vengeance on the people 
of Joppa and Jamnia, who 
had treacherously plotted the 
destruction of numerous Jews. 

Antiochus Epiphanes was 
succeeded by Antiochus Eu- 
pator. At first this prince 
acted towards the Jews with 
moderation and tolerance; but 
• he soon afterwards invaded 
Judea with a powerful army, 
and was only induced to make 
peace with Maccabaeus by the 
fears he entertained of a rival 
aspirant to the throne. His 
caution did not save him. 
He was put to death by his own uncle, Demetrius, who, obtaining the 
throne of Syria, made peace with Judas, but took possession of the 
citadel of Jerusalem, which was occupied by his general, Nicanor, and 
a body of troops. This state of things was not allowed to last long. 
Demetrius listened to the reports of Nicanor's enemies, and threatened 
to deprive him of his command unless he could disprove the accusation 
that he had entered into a league with Judas, and was betraying the 
interests of his sovereign. Nicanor immediately took measures to satisfy 
Demetrius, and Judas saw it necessary to escape from Jerusalem and 
put himself in a posture of defense. A battle took place in which he 
defeated his enemy. Another was soon after fought at Beth-horon, where 
he was again victorious. Nicanor himself fell in this battle, and his 
head and right hand were sent among the spoils to Jerusalem. But the 
forces of Demetrius were still numerous. Judas had retired to Laish with 
about three thousand followers. He was there attacked by overwhelming 
numbers. Only eight hundred of his people remained faithful to him 
on this occasion. Resolved not to flee, he bravely encountered the 
enemy, and was speedily slain, regarding his life as a fitting sacrifice to 
the cause in which he was engaged. 

Simon and Jonathan, the brothers of Judas, rallied around them 
the bravest -of their companions, and took up a strong position in the 
neighborhood of Tekoa. Jonathan proved himself a worthy successor to 
his heroic brother, and skilfully evaded the first attack of Bacchides, the 
Syrian general. For two years after this the brothers were left in tran- 
quillity, and they established themselves in a little fortress called 
Bethtssi, situated among the rocks near Jericho. The skill and resolution 



BALISTA FOR HURLING HUGE STONES, 
AND MOVEABLE TOWER. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 119 



B.C. 167-34. — The Maccabees. — The Romans. 



with which they pursued their measures rendered them formidable to 
the enemy, and the state of affairs in Syria some time after obliged 
Demetrius to make Jonathan the general of his forces in Judea, and to 
invest him with the authority of governor of Jerusalem. To this he was 
compelled by the rivalry of Alexander Balas; but his policy was too 
late to secure the attachment of his new ally. Jonathan received offers 
from Alexander to support his interests among the Jews, and the high 
priesthood was the proffered reward. The invitation was accepted, and 
Jonathan became the first of the Asmonean line, t irough which the high 
priesthood was so long transmitted. Alexander B ilas left nothing undone 
which might tend to secure the fidelity of Jonathan. He gave him a high 
rank among the princes of his kingdom and adorned him with a purple 
robe. Jonathan continued to enjoy his prosperity till the year B.C. 143, 
when he fell a victim to the treachery of Tryphon who aspired to the 
Syrian throne. He was succeeded by his 
brother Simon, who confirmed the Jews in th'^ir 
temporary independence; and in the yt ir 
B.C. 141, they passed a decree whereby the 
dignity of the high priesthood and of prvnce 
of the Jews was rendered hereditary in the 
family of Simon. He fell a victim to the 
treachery of his son-in-law Ptolemy, governor 
of Jericho, but was succeeded by his son the 
celebrated John Hyrcanus, who possessed the 
supreme authority above thirty years, and at 
his death left it to be enjoyed by his son 
Aristobulus, who, soon after his accession to 
power, assumed the title of king. This dig- 
nity continued with the descendants of the 
Asmodean family till the year B.C. 34, when 
it ceased with the downfall of Antigonus, who, 
conquered by Herod and the Romans, was put Roman standard. 

to death by ,the common executioner. 

To the foregoing histories is appended a brief notice of the events 
which almost immediately preceded the advent upon earth of the 
Messiah. 

Herod, surnamed the Great, who overthrew the constitution estab- 
lished by Esdras, and who brought the Jews finally under the dominion 
of the Romans, by being made "king" * of Judea by a decree of the 
senate (B.C. 40), was born (b.c. 72) of a noble family in Idumea. The 
family name was Antipas, which his father changed to Antipator, to 
give it a Greek form. His father rose to political importance as a 
partisan of Hyrcanus, and was thus able to introduce his son to 
political life at an early age. Herod had the discernment to see that 
the Roman interest was the only way to power, and he therefore paid 
court most assiduously to each Roman general, as they succeeded each 
other in cocimand of the army of Asia. To gain a party, also, with the 
Jews, he allied himself in marriage with Mariamne, a granddaughter 
of Hyrcanus. Thus proceeding, step by step, in his Ambitious designs, 
he became extremely hateful to the doctors of the Sanhedrim and the 
principal Jews, who perceived clearly what his designs were. Those 
who preserved their nationel pride saw in him a foreign adventurer of the 
hated race of the Idumenians (Edomites) ; and those who were still really 
zealous for the law of Moses saw in him a man of no sort of prln- 



♦ Herod the Great was a titular king only, being in reality but a 
Roman official. 




20 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Roman subjugation of Judea. 



ciple, who was ready to profess a zeal for that law whenever there was 
any end to be gained by it for himself, but who would just as readily 
offer sacrifice to Hercules, or any other Gentile idol, to ingratiate himself 

with his Roman supporters. 
This led to the formation 
of a party in the Sanhedrim 
against Herod; and in order 
to oppose him with the bet- 
ter appearance, this party 
placed Antigonus, the oldest 
of the surviving sons of Aris- 
tobulus, at their head. Herod, 
however, defeated the party 
of Aristobulus in a pitched 
battle, and in the year 40 B.C. 
went to Rome, where, through 
the influence of Marc Antony, 
he was declared king of Judea 
by the senate, and did hom- 
age to the Romans for his 
crown. 

Thus gradually the scep- 
ter passed away from Judah, 
and the faithless people for 
their sins became a tributary 
kingdom of the Roman empire 
under a foreigner. This, 
however, was not to be with- 
out - a struggle; but the 
struggle did not, as heretofore 
under the Maccabees, end in 
the recovery of their kingdom, 
ROMAN GENERAL. ^or God was no longer on 

their side. The party of the 

Sanhedrim, with Antigonus at their head, resisted Herod for two years 

after his return; but at length, 

with the help of the Romans, 

they were defeated, and An- 
tigonus, the tool of the 

sacerdotal party, was put to 

death. 



Herod's first use of his 
victory was to rid himself of 
his enemies in the Sanhedrim, 
whom he put to death. Hav- 
ing obtained • the throne 
through bloodshed, he con- 
tinued to the end of his life 
to secure himself upon it, by 
putting to death all whom he 
suspected as likely to inter- 
fere with him. In this way 
he murdered his own sons, 
his wife Mariamne, and, as 
we shall see later, the holy 
innocents of Bethlehem. 





ROMAN CATAPULT. 



for discharging, javelins, and sometimes 
trunks of trees, against an enemy. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



121 



Roman subjugation of Judea. 



As he knew quite well that the Jews, who retained a zeal for the 
law of Moses, could never be reconciled to him for the king, he made it 
the policy oi his reign to undermine the faith of the people in the pro- 
tection of God, as a defender distinct from the power of the 'Roman 
empire; and, as far as he could, he tried to overthrow and root out the 
spiritual work of Ezra. He placed a gilt eagle, the Roman ensign, at 
the entrance to the Temple; and the Jews, irritated at this affront, rose 
in tumult and tore it down. This act of resistance cost three thousand 
ol the people their lives. Thus the fulness of time began to draw near 
for the birth of the Messiah, the prince, the expectation of all nations. 
The scepter was departing from Judah. 




ROMAN STANDARD. 



22 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



The Roman Power. 




CHAPTER VIII. 



INTRODUCTORY TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 



550. What Tvas the great ruling power at the birth of 
our Savior? 

The Roman Empire, which had conquered and super- 
seded the Greek and other preceding empires, and which 
held sway over every portion of the then known world. 

551. Wh}) is it of the greatest importance to the reader 
of the New Testament to consider what was the origin of 
that empire, as well as its condition at that particular period? 

Because it had arisen through the providence of God 
with a special view to the dissemination of his Gospel. 

552. This powerful and polished nation, to whom the whole human 
race now submitted, afforded, through its perfect centralization and the 
almost universal diffusion of its language, a vehicle for the spread of 
Divine truth. The mission of the family of Shem had been completed. 
The vocation of the Gentiles had commenced. The hitherto favored 
regions of Asia were to yield to the superior claims of the Gentile 
west. Jerusalem had been, and was for a short time longer, destined to 
be the scene of many great — even of the greatest events — in the order of 
providence; but it would at last go into a final captivity with its children, 
and the sons of Japhet should claim the inheritance. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 123 

The Roman Power. 

553. What Tvas the origin of the Roman poiver ? 
Rome is supposed to have been founded about the year 

of the world 3256, 748 years B.C., by some Greek 
immigrants. 

554. The foundations of the renowned city of Rome were laid by 
Romulus and Remus. This event was contemporaneous with the rei^n 
01 Hezekiah, king of Judah. Its first inhabitants were chieliy of three 
tribes — the Ramnenses, or Romanenses, hence the word Rome, the Titien- 
£es, and the Luceres. In order to increase his population, Romulus 
opened an asylum or sanctuary, inviting thereto those who, from vvhat- 
ever cause, fled from the neighboring cities. Rome was accordni^ly soon 
filled by the discontented, the guilty, or the aspiring, who j.ought a 
wider field for their exploits than their own country afforded. From a 
email beginning, and by slow degrees, the city gradually rose to eminence, 
.until it became the seat of the fourth great empire predicted by Daniel 

(Dan. ii. 40). and obtained the name of the lord of the whole earth, 
the head and queen of it. 

555. What is the estimated number of the subjects of 
the Roman Emperor at the date of our Savior^ s birth? 

The total amount is thought to have reached about one 
hundred and twenty million souls. 

556. This vast census, greater than that of the whole of Europe at 
the present time, formed the most numerous society that has ever been 
united under the same system oi government. 

557. What rvas the nature of the Roman government? 
It was at first monarchical. After two hundred and 

forty years it took a republican or consular form; finally, 
under Octavius Caesar, B.C. 29, Rome became an empire. 

558. When the Christian era commences — year of Rome (or from the 
date of the building of the city) 754 — the empire had for its eastern 
limit the river Euphrates — the cataracts of the Nile, the African deserts, 
and Mount Atlas for its southern — the Atlantic Ocean for its western— 
and the Danube and Rhine for its northern boundarivjs. The subjugated 
countries that lay beyond the limits of Italy were designated by the 
general name of provinces. 

559. What was the religion of the Roman empire at 
the birth of our Lord? 

It was an unmixed paganism, or a deeply-rooted idol- 
atry of the grossest kind. 

As the "fourth" great empire spoken of by Daniel it is important to 
reconsider the words of prophecy as recorded in the celebrated passage, 
Dan. ii. 31-45; they form part of Nebuchadnezzar's remarkable dream 
aj follows: — 



24 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



The Roman Power. 



"Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, 
whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee, and the form thereof 
was terrible. 

"This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms were 
of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass. 

"His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 

"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which 
smote the image upon his feet of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 

"Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, 
broken to pieces together, and became like chaff of the summer thrashing- 
floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for 
them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and 
filled the whole earth. 

"This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof 
before the king. 

"Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath 
given thee a kingdom,* power, and strength, and glory. 

"And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the 
field, and the fowls of the heaven, hath He given into thine hand, and 
hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. 

"And after thee shall arise another kingdom f inferior to thee, and 
another third kingdom of brass, t which shall bear rule over the whole 
earth. 

"And the fourth kingdom \\ shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as 
iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things ; and as iron that breaketh 
all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. 

"And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter's clay 
and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; § but there shall be in it 
of the strength of iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with 
miry clay. 

"And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay; so 
the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 

"And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall 
mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one 
to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. 

"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a 
kingdom which shall never be destroyed : 1| and the kingdom shall not 
be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all 
these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 

"Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the moun- 
tain without hands, ** and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, 
the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to 
the king what shall come to pass hereafter; and the dream is certain, 
and the interpretation thereof sure." 

560. At what period did Judea become a Roman 
province ? 

In the year B.C. 63, under the rival priesthood of 
Hyrcanus and Aristobulus. 

II Of the Romans. 

* The empire of Babylon, f Of the Persians. $ Of the Greeks. 
§ Into tUe Eastern and the Western empire. 
![ The Christian Kingdom, or Church. 
** Referring to the miraculous conception of Jesus Christ. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 125 



Th( 



56L The circumstances under which this event (ell out, have been 
mentioned under the head of "Maccabees." They are here briefly re- 
peated. The Romans and Jews first came into political contact when 
Judas Maccabaeus, with a view to his defense against the "Greeks," 
represented by Demetrius, king of Syria, and in contravention, as pious 
Jews consider, of the fundamental relations which a true Hebrew ruler 
should have held with God, made a treaty offensive and defensive with 
the consular power, B.C. 161. The immediate successors of Judas Macca- 
baeus renewed this treaty, and Judea was admitted by Rome into the 
rank of friends (socii) of the Roman people. John Hyrcanus, the suc- 
cessor of Simon Maccabaeus, enjoyed his dignity as an independent Jewish 
prince. But Hyrcanus II., quarreling with Aristobulus II., they appealed 
to Rome. Pompey, who then ruled the republic seems to have deemed 
this a favorable moment for annexing the kingdom of Judea to the domin- 
ions of Rome. He at first temporized, siding alternately with both the 
rivals. But in the year 63, he came to Damascus and marched over 
Coelo-Syria, where he was met by ambassadors from Hyrcanus and Aris- 
tobulus. But besides these there awaited the victorious general a depu- 
tation from the Jewish nation, opposed to both the claimants, who were 
alleged by it to be subverters of the regular government, and anxious 
only to aggrandize themselves. He accordingly at once marched to Jeru- 
salem, captured the city, made Hyrcanus high priest and prince of the 
Jews, restricting his territory and imposing triljute. This is the event 
from which the termination of the liberty of Judea, as a nation, is to be 
reckoned. Henceforth the Jews formed a portion of the subjects of the 
empire. Their kingdom was a part of the "province" of Syria.* 

562. In Tvhat rva}) did the Roman conquest of Judea 
affect the Jewish worship and ceremonial? 

Except that the high priest became the nominee of the 
chief consul or emperor, or of his favorite, the Jews were 
left very much to themselves, and enjoyed their usual free- 
dom of worship. 

563. Acting on the principle that all unnecessary evil was gratuitous 
folly, the Roman conqueror generally availed himself of the aid afforded 
by existing institutions, and only ventured to give displeasure by estab- 
lishing new ones in cases where the laws and customs of a country were 
insufficient for his purposes. 

564. Why was it now true that the scepter had de- 
parted from Judah? 

Because, although left with some freedom of action as 
related to religion and its observances, the government and 



* It is worthy of remark, that this conquest of Jerusalem, and with 
it of all Judea, by Pompey, B.C. 63, took place upon the very day when 
the Jews were observing a solemn fast and lamentation in commemora- 
tion of its capture by Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve thousand Jews were 
massacred in the temple courts, including many priests, who died at the 
very altar rather than suspend the sacred rites. 



126 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

- — — __^ — — ■ — ■ -^ — 1 

New Testament Names. 

rule, in every respect merged in that of the Roman senate, 
and this so thoroughly and effectually that they were 
never recovered. 

565. Wh^ is Palestine so called? 

Because it is the country of Philistia, or of the 
Philistines. 

566. The name occurs in many ancient writers, among whom is 
Josephus, and is by them applied to the whole region possessed by the 
Israelites. 

567. Wh}) Tvas it called Canaan? 

From Canaan, the fourth son of Ham, who first pos- 
sessed and planted it. (Gen. xi. 31.) 

568. This denomination was anciently confined to the country between 
the Mediterranean and the Jordan; but, subsequently, the land of Gilea^ 
beyond the Jordan, Phoenicia, and Philistia came to be included under 
the common name of Canaan. 

569. IVh^ Tpas the term ''Holy Land'' first applied) 
Because of the passage in Zechariah ii. 12, **The Lord 

shall inherit Judah, his portion in the Holy Land.*' 

570. The land is here called **Holy" as being the Lord's property, 
and sanctified by his temple and worship; but Christians in applying 
the term regard it more as the scene of the life, travels, and sufferings 
of Christ. Jerusalem was situated on the southern boundary of the 
tribe of Benjamin, in latitude 31 degree 50'. It is thirty-seven miles 
distant from the Mediterranean Sea, and twenty-three from the Jordan. 

The "Holy City" was built upon three hills, and was bounded on 
three sides by valleys, viz., on the east, west, and south; but on the 
north there was merely a steep declivity. The most lofty of these hills 
was Zion, otherwise called **the city of David." The hill of Moriah 
was situated to the east of Zion, and was separated from it by a deep 
valley intervening. Upon this hill the temple was built. There was 
a third hill of less elevation than either of those which have been 
mentioned, situated to the north, and separated from Moriah and Zion 
by a valley. It has been named in modern times Acra. 

At the bottom of Mount Moriah, to the southeast, flowed the 
fountain Siloam, or Siloe, the only fountain whose waters gladdened 
the city. 

Both the valley which separates the city on the east from the 
much more lofty mount of Olives, and the winter torrent which flows 
through it, were called by the common name of Kedron. To the south 
of the city is "the valley of the son of Hinnom," in which was the 
place called "Tophet," rendered famous on account of the immolation of 
child_ren, which, in the idolatrous times, was witnessed there. To the 
west is the valley of Gihon. The approach of an army to the city, 
from either of these three valleys, was difficult; it was, therefore, 
commonly attacked on the north. Many of the gates of the city are 
mentioned in various parts of the sacred writings, but the exact situatioa 
of them it is now difficult to ascertain. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



27 



New Testament Appellations. 



571. Why is the Gospel so called? 

Because it was a dispensation of good news to man, the 
Greek word **evangelion,'* translated Gospel, signifying 
glad tidings. 

572. The English word, literally rendered, is "good news," or 
"tidings." The term "good tidings" is found in St. Luke ii. 10: "And 
the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good 
tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is 
born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." 

This, however, and the titles to the books generally, it is scarcely 
necessary to remark, were not affixed by the authors themselves, but are 
the work of compilers or -editors. Like the prefaces and "head-lines," 
they are simply for utility, and are not supposed to be included in the 
inspired portion of the sacred writings. 

573. Why is the prefix *'sainf' used in connection with 
the names of the Nen? Testament 
writers, the apostles, and evangelists? 

Because, being the authors of 
holy books, the mouthpieces of the 
Holy Ghost, and in most instances 
the workers of miracles, it is only 
reasonable to conclude that they 
were themselves holy, the word saint 
meaning a holy or sanctified person. 

574. St. Paul speaks in his epistles of 
the first Christians as paints, "the elect of 
God," "called to be saints." He solicits 
alms for the poor saints at Jerusalem. In 
one place he says, "The saints that are in 
thy house." The faithful are exhorted con- 
tinually to be holy, that is, saints. Hence 
the title as applied by a vast majority of 
the Christian world to the Apostles and 
Evangelists. 

575. Who was St. Matthew? 
He was a native of Galilee, the 

son of Alpheus, a Jew and a tax- 
gatherer, and was also known by the 
name of Levi. He was called to st. matthew. 

follow Christ in the second year of our J^ord's public 
ministry. 




28 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



New Testament Authors. 



576. St. Matthew was what is called a portitor or sub-collector of 
customs at Capernaum, on the lake of Tiberias (the sea of Galilee) ; he 
was not a publicanus, or farmer-general of customs. Thus it is evident 
that he belonged to what is termed the lower classes, a class which seems 
to have had our Savior's special preference. He preached and min- 
istered with the other apostles, at first in Judea, and afterwards in 
India, where he at length suflFered martyrdom. His gospel comes first in 
order, as being the first written. Unlike the other gospels, this was 
written in Hebrew. 

577. Why does this gospel commence mth the 
genealogy of Christ? 

Because, according to St. Irenaeus, it was written to the 
Jews, who greatly desired to learn how Christ could be of 
the family of David. Matthew, having the power to show 

them this, undertook that special 
work; and hence the genealogy. 

578. Who was St. Mark? 
He was a native of Judea, 

the companion and secretary of 
St. Peter, with whom he trav- 
eled and preached. 

579. Why did he write his 
gospel ? 

Because, as we learn from 
Eusebius, in his ''Ecclesiastical 
History," he had been requested 
to do so by the converts at 
Rome. 

580. That celebrated historian says 
that, following upon the wonderful suc- 
cess which St. Peter's preaching had in 
the imperial city, the converts were very 
desirous of possessing a consecutive ac- 
count of the gospel transactions. They 
naturally applied to St. Mark, his secre- 
tary or amanuensis, and prevailed upon 
him to put it down in writing; but St. 

ST. MARK. Mark had not seen our Savior, and 

hence his gospel had to be dictated by 

St. Peter. 

The Gospel of St. Mark was written in Greek, according to St. 

Jerome, St. Augustine, and others, though from the style and frequent 

Hebraisms his native country is clearly evident. He was much better 

acquainted with the Hebrew than the Greek. He, for the most part, 

adheres to the account furnished by St. Matthew, often uses the same 

words, and in m<^ny places does but abridge the history; he alters, 




KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



29 



New Testament Authors. 



indeed, the order of the narrative at times, and relates several entire 
facts of which St. Matthew makes no mention. 

St. Mark wrote his gospel about the third year of Claudius, that is, 
about the forty-fifth year of our Lord. His diction is concise and 
expressive; his periods are concluded with pleasing and elegant sim- 
plicity. The characteristic peculiarity of this evangelist as an author 
have been thus pointed out: — 1, he reports the acts rather than the words 
of our Savior; 2, he gives details more minutely and graphically than 
Matthew and Luke; 3, he is more particular in stating definite numbers, 
and furnishes more exact dates and times. 

581. Wh^ does St. Mark omit the commendatory) ex- 
pression of our Lord in favor of the Apostle Peter, rvhich 
St. Matthew mentions, while he is very particular in the 
mention of St. Peter's fall and denial of his Master? 

Because the gospel of St. Mark was dictated chiefly by 
St. Peter, who, from his great hu- 
mihty, chose that the evangeHst 
should so write. 

582. This is the opinion of St. Chrys- 
ostom, who adds, that it was from a similar 
motive that only two out of the four 
evangelists were apostles. The latter were 
the chief actors in the gospel history; and 
where such miracles were wrought, and such 
extraordinary gifts bestowed, they shrank 
from being the narrators. 

583. Who was St. Luke? 
He was a native of Antioch, 

the capital city of Syria, the com- 
panion of St. Paul in his apostolical 
excursions, and styled by him **the 
beloved physician and his fellow- 
laborer." 

584. It is argued, from the form of 
his name, that St. Luke had been a slave, 
and had received the gift of freedom. 
Among the higher ranks of the Romans the 
profession of physician was considered derog- 
atory, and was left to the inferior classes. 
History furnishes instances of slaves re- 
ceiving their freedom from the fact of their 
skilful treatment of disease. When or how 

the evangelist became a proselyte to the ST. luke. 

Christian religion is uncertain. It would 

appear that he followed his profession jointly 

with that of an evangelist, and this might easily be needs no argument. 
St. Jerome informs us that he was very eminent in his profession. A 
tradition attributes to St. Luke some skill in painting also. Upon this 




30 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE, 



New Testament Authors. 



supposition the artists have frequently adopted St. Luke as a kind of 
patron, and the great academy of Roman art is called after his name. 
This evangelist appears to have been more constant in his attendance 
upon the great apostle of the Gentiles. He was with him in Rome 
through his first long imprisonment and after his release. St. Paul, 
during his last imprisonment, writes that the rest had all left him, and 
that Luke alone was with him (2 Tim. iv. 11). After the martyrdom of 
his friend, St. Luke preached in Italy, Gaul, and Greece. By the term 
Gaul some understand Galatia, which was likely, from its proximity to 
Greece. Paulinus states that St. Luke suffered martyrdom at Elsea, in 
Peloponnessus, near Achaia, by being crucified, about the year 90. 

585. Wh^ was St. Lukes gospel written? 

Because certain erroneous accounts of the gospe! trans- 
actions had obtained circulation, which it was very desirable 
an authentic history should supersede. 

586. To prevent the mischief that might arise from thence, he dili- 
gently informed himself of the real truth from those enlightened apostles 
who had been acquainted with our Savior "from the beginning;" he col- 
lected a circumstantial account of the things 
which Jesus had said and done from those 
who, as he himself says, were "from the 
beginning eye-witnesses and ministers of the 
Word" (ch. i.), for he was not conversant 
with our Savior as St. Matthew and St. 
John were. 

By a special disposition of the divine 
wisdom, it was ordained, says St. Augustine, 
that the evangelical history should be written 
by two men who had not seen the deeds 
they relate, to the end we might learn to 
submit our understanding in obedience to 
divine faith, whether it be communicated to 
us by an apostle or only by a disciple of an 
apostle; for the certitude of truth which is 
contained in the gospel rests not upon the 
grounds of human evidence, which at most 
can afford us nothing more than a moral 
certainty; it rests upon the special assistance 
of the Holy Ghost, who could not inspire 
the sacred penmen to write any thing but 
what was true. 

The language of St. Luke's gospel is 
very pure; the author was well versed in 
the Greek tongue, and wrote it both elegantly 
and perspicuously. He is thought to have 
written the gospel in the year 53. 

587. Who was St. John the 
Evangelist? 

He was a native of the town of st. john the evangelist. 
Bethsaida, the son of Zebedee, and brother to St. James the 
Great. 




KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 131 



New Testament Authors. 



588. It may be worth while to consider for a moment the worldly 
position of the evangelist's father. Zebedee was the owner of a fishing- 
boat on the lake of Gennesaret, and with his sons followed the businesj 
of a fisherman. He was present, mending the nets with them, when 
Jesus called James and John to follow him; and as he offered no 
obstacle to their obedience, but remained alone without murmuring in the 
vessel, it is to be presumed that he had been previously a disciple of 
the Baptist, and as such knew Jesus to be the Messsiah. It is not neces- 
sary to suppose that, as a fisherman, Zebedee was abjectly poor; the 
possession of a boat or fishing-ship was one proof, at least, that he was 
comparatively independent. 

St. John, from his pure and amiable manners, became the favorite 
of Jesus; he was with him at his transfiguration on mount Tabor, and 
in the garden of Gethsemane; he leaned upon his Master's bossom at the 
last supper, was near him during his trial, and stood with the mother of 
Jesus under the cross. After the descent of the Holy Ghost, he preached 
the faith in Asia Minor, where he founded different churches. St. John 
was Bishop of Ephefrus. Being called to Rome, he was condemned by the 
Emperor Domitian to be cast alive into a cauldron of boiling oil; but 
being miraculously preserved, and coming out more fresh and vigorous 
than he entered in, says Tertullian, he ' was banished to the isle of 
Patmos. Here he was favored with the visions which form the sub- 
jects of the book of Revelation. After Domitian's death, St. John 
returned to Ephesus, wrote his gospel about the year 98, and died 
about A.D. 100. 

589. Wh}) rvas St. Johns Gospel Xi^riiten? 
Inconsequence of the heresies of Cerinthus and Ebion 

(a.D. 90— 98), who impiously asserted doctrines which 
aimed at the very root of Christianity in denying the divine 
nature of Christ. 

590. They asserted, to the great scandal of the infant churches, that 
Jesus Christ had no existence previous to his birth of the Virgin Mary— 
in other words, that He was a mere man. St. John, as the last sur- 
vivor of the twelve, was therefore called upon by the unanimous voice 
of the Church to write his indignant refutation. Hence this Gospel 
according to St. John, is higher in aim and more dignified in style than 
the three preceding ones. "St. John," says St. Augustine, in his com- 
mentary, **wa3 in an especial manner made choice of to unfold the 
divinity of Jesus Christ. The other three evangelists seem to walk with 
their Master upon the earth, and in their progress relate the actions of 
his mortal life; while St. John, like an eagle, soars aloft above the 
clouds of human understanding, and, penetrating into the bosom of the 
Father, fixes his eye upon the divine Word, the" co-eternal Son of God, 
without being dazzled by the rays, or overpowered by the glory of 
infinite majesty/* 

The essential aim, then, of this gospel is the manifestation of the 
glory of Jesus Christ, as displayed in establishing a religion which, 
spiritual in its nature, universal in its spread, and everlasting in its 
operation and effects, should supersede Judaism and every form and relict 
of Judaical usages and notions. This aim is pursued in a regular and 
systematic arrangement. 

591. What is the meaning of the word Apostle? 
The term is generally employed in the New Testament 
as the descriptive appellation of a comparatively small class 



132 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



The Twelve Apostles. 



of men to whom Jesus Christ entrusted the organization of 
his Church, and the dissemination of his religion among 
mankind. 



592. He ordained twelve of his disciples **that they should be 
with Him." These He named apostles. "He gave to them power against 
unclean spirits to cast them out, and to heal all manner of disease," and 
**He sent them to preach the kingdom of God." To them He gave the 

keys of the kingdom of God, and constituted 
them princes over the spiritual Israei. 
Previously to his death He promised to 
them the Holy Spirit, to fit them to be the 
founders and governors of the Christian 
Church. After his resurrection He solemnly 
confirmed their call, saying, "As the Father 
hath sent me, so send I you;" and gave 
them a commission to preach the gospel to 
every creature. At the Feast of Pentecost 
they received the plenitude of these spir- 
itual gifts through the infusion of the prony- 
ised Comforter, or Holy Ghost. Then, for 
the first time, they had "the mind of Christ" 
— "thenceforth they spoke not in words which 
man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy 
Ghost teacheth." They authoritatively 

taught the doctrine and the law of their 
Lord, and organized churches. Of the twelve 
originally ordained to the apostleship, one, 
Judas Iscariot, fell, and Matthias was, by 
lot, substituted for him. After the martyr- 
dom of St. James, St. Paul, miraculously 
converted and called to the office, filled the 
vacancy in the apostolic college. The word 
apostle, signifying a messenger, is beautifully 
alluded to by the prophet Malachi (iii. 1). 

593. Why TPere tiDelve apos- 
tles chosen? 
_ Because that was the number 

ST. PETER. of the tribes of Israel — the apostles 

being mystically constituted the heads of the tribes of the 
new Israel, or Church of the gospel dispensation. 

594. The number twelve had a mystical signification, symbolizing just 
proportion, beauty, stability, and the like. Thus, Exod. xxiv. 4, twelve 
pillars according to the twelve tribes; 1 Kings, xviii. 31, Elijah took 
twelve stones and built an altar; 1 Kings xix. 19, Elisha plowed with 
twelve yoke of oxen; Job xxxviii. 32, "Canst thou bring forth the twelve 
signs?" Ezek. xliii. 16, "The altar shall be twelve cubits long and twelve 
broad;" Matthew xiv. 20, "They took up of the fragments twelve 
baskets." Here we see that the multiplication of the loaves being strictly 




KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



133 



The T\^ elve Apofiles. 



miraculous, our Lord chose that the overplus should bear a symbolical 
proportion. Matt. xxvi. 53, ''twelve legions of angels;" Luke ii. 42, 
"When Jesus was twelve years old." Bossuet says upon this point, 
"We are to observe in the numbers a certain figurative proportion which the 
Holy Ghost deigns to point out to observation. This number of twelve 
(Rev. vii. 4), multiplied by itself and then by a thousand makes 144,000. 
In the solid proportion of this square 
number, the unchangeable nature of God 
and his promises are indicated." 

595. Who was St. Peter? 
He was the son of Jonas, 

and, as well as his brother An- 
drew, a fisherman, who lived in 
the state of wedlock at Caper- 
naum ; havmg, however, been born 
at Bethsaida. Peter may be brief- 
ly described as one who, having 
been called by the Savior of the 
world, earned, by the fine traits 
of his character, the honor of 
being regarded as their speaker 
and representative by his fellow- 
disciples, and the high esteem of 
his Master, who reposed great 
confidence in him, which, event- 
ually at least, was proved to be ^^ 
deserved by the zeal and wisdom 
with which he preached the gos- 
pel, especially among his fellow- 
countrymen, the Jews. Tradition represents him as having 
visited Rome, and having been the first bishop of that im- 
perial city, where he was crucified about the same time that 
his fellow-laborer, the Apostle Paul suffered. 

596. Who was St. Andrexp? 

He was one of the first disciples of Christ and brother 
of the Apostle Peter. His native place was Bethsaida on 
the lake Genesareth, where he and his brother carried on the 
trade of fishing. Before he joined Jesus he had been a 
disciple of John the Baptist. In the gospel narrative we 




ST. ANDREW. 



34 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



The Twelve Apostles. 



find him in constant and intimate connection with our Sav- 
ior. The book of Acts mentions him only once, a fact which 
with others of a similar nature, may serve to show that the 
accounts of the early Church, that have come down to us, by 
no means contain the entire history ; probably, more has been 

lost than we actually possess. Tra- 
dition makes him travel as a mission- 
ary in various countries — Scythia, 
Asia Minor, Thrace, Macedonia, 
and Achaia ; and, at the order of the 
Roman pro-consul, whose wife and 
brother he had converted, to suffer 
martyrdom at Patrae, in Achaia, on 
the gulf of Lepanto, on a kind of 
cross, something like a letter X, and 
named from him a **St. Andrew's 
cross." 

597. Who was St James the 
Elder? 

He was a son of the Galilean 
Zebedee and Salome, and brother of 
the Apostle John (the beloved dis- 
ciple), in conjunction with whom he, 
while pursuing his occupation as a 
fisherman, was called to the high 
office of being an Apostle of Jesus 
Christ. The two, with Peter, were 
admitted the special confidence of the Lord, so that James 
was present at his transfiguration, and at his humiliaton in 
the garden; a privilege which may have been the occasion 
why their mothers preferred a petition for their pre-eminence 
(**That they might sit, the one on his right hand, and the 
other on his left in his kingdom"). 

598. The activity which James displayed during the lifetime of our 
Lord, appears to have been resumed with correspondent power after his 
ascension and the establishment of the infant Church, for he was made 
an object of the wrath of Herod Agrippa, who, A.D 43, caused him to be 
beheaded. 




ST. JAMES THE ELDER. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



35 



The Twelve Apostles. 



599. Who was St. John?'' 

He was the son of Zebedee and Salome and younger 
brother of the Apostle James the Elder. Like the other 
members of Zebedee's family, he was a fisherman. As his 
father employed hired servants, it is understood that he was 
in good circumstances, having a house of his own, to which 
at the direction of Jesus from the cross, he took our Lord's 
mother. 

600. This apostle was related to the family of Jesus, and is numbered, 
on that account, with our "Lord's brethren." 
John at first attached himself to the Baptist, 
the forerunner of Christ, being probably 
present when the former gave his testimony 
to Jesus and proclaimed Him to be the 
Lamb of God. Soon after this meeting, 
our Lord expressly called John and his 
brother, with Peter and Andrew, their 
companions, while engaged in their calling, 
to be his followers and apostles. 

An illustration of bis peculiarly amiable 
character in after life, tradition has pre- 
served the following anecdotes : — On one oc- 
casion, being engaged in his apostolic duties, 
he saw a voung man distinguished for bodily 
and mental endowments, whom on leaving 
the place, he commended to the special care 
and oversight of the bishop. At first no 
pains were spared to inform the mind ana 
enrich the soul of this pupil; but when he 
had undergone baptism, the bishop utterly 
neglected him. In consequence, the youth 
was by degrees estranged from the Chris- 
tian life, fell a prey to temptation, and be- 
came chief of a band of robbers, all of. 
whom he outdid in cruel and bloodthirsty 
deeds. After some time St. John returned, 
learned the sad fate of his pupil, and at 
once set out to seek and save him, regard- 
less of his own age and feebleness, and 
the dangers of his errand. He found the 
object of his search, induced him to quit 
his evil companions, and, by the gentle 
persuasion of Christian love, brought him 
to sincere repentance. ST. philip. 

Many years after the above occurrence, when, through the weight 
of years, he could appear in the temple of public worship onlv when 
carried thither by the pious hands of his disciples, and was no 
longer in a condition to give utterance to a continued discourse, he 
was wont to say on all occasions nothing but these words, '"Litllts 
children love one another." At last, some persons being dissatisfied 




* St. John is here considered as an Apostle, 



136 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



The Twelve Apostles. 



at always hearing the same thing, asked him, "Master, why sayest thou 
always this?" He answered, "Because it is the command of the Lord; 
and when this is done, it is enough." 

601. Who was SL Philip? 

He was one of the twelve apostles, born at Bethsaida of 
Galilee. It is probable that previously to his call to the 

apostleship he was personally known 
to Jesus. Very little is recorded of 
Philip in the gospels. We find him 
in connection with the miraculous 
multiplication of the • loaves and 
fishes (John vi. 5, 7), and his re- 
quest to Jesus, **Lord, show us the 
Father, and it sufficeth us," proves 
that, like the other apostles previous^ 
to their enlightenment through the 
descend of the Holy Ghost, he had 

i ^ 1\ \v //liM^ ' ^^^ ^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ nature 
l/« \ \y/IIMM ^^ *^^ ^^^ dispensation. 

602. According to the ecclesiastical 
tradition, Philip preached the gospel in 
Phrygia, and suffered cruifixion under the 
Emperor Domitian. 

603. Who was SL Bartholo- 
men? ? 

He was the same person, with 
Nathaniel, whom our Lord so highly 
praises in the words, **Behold, an 
Israelite indeed, in whom there is no 
guile." Very little is known of this 
apostle's history — perhaps less than 

that of any other. He is said to have preached in India, and 

to have suffered death by flaying. For this reason St. 

Bartholomew is represented in ancient pictures and sculptures 

with a knife in his hand. 

604. An eminent writer,* says, "There is a great disproportion be- 
tween the amount of good which the Apostles wrought, and the space ihat 




ST. BARTHOLOMEW. 



* "People's Dictionary of the Bible.' 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



137 



The Twelve Apostles. 



their names occupy on the page of history. A very few lines relate all that 

is known respecting Bartholomew. Even his name is a subject of doubt. 

At first view, it is impossible not to regret this want of full and 

detailed information. We soon, however, learn to see that in this. 

as in other cases, the actual ordinations of Providence are the best. 

Bartholomew and his associates had a great work to perform, and were 

so ardently and exclusively engaged in it, 

that they had neither time nor thought 

to write down their deeds. They were too 

busy, too disinterested, too unconscious, 

to become historians of their own doings. 

They were men of deeds, not of words; 

intent on saving the world, rather than 

in erecting a memorial to their own 

honor; and so, in active and ceaseless 

labors, their lives passed awaV till the 

time was gone when they themselves had 

strength, and others could not readily, in 

that age, find materials for biography. 

They died, and left to earth only the 

blessed deeds which they had wrought — 

their own holy example, and the good and 

happy lives of their numerous converts. 

Thev died, and found their reward on 

high." 

605. Who was St. Thomas? 

He was one of the twelve; 
according to some, a native of 
Galilee, and to others, of An- 
tiocha. His name signifies a 
**twin;" in Greek Didymus. Tra- 
dition mentions his twin sister 
Lysia. The transactions relative 
to this Apostle, narrated in the 
Gospels, show that he was of a 
very ardent temperament. **Let us go also," he said to the 
other disciples, when Jesus was about to visit the weeping 
sisters of the deceased Lazarus, **that we may die with 
Him.'' 




ST. THOMAS. 



If Thomas was incredulous of our Lord's resurrection, it was not 
from any but the best motives. "A resolute and lively faith is ever 
aecessarily combined with a sense of the importance of evidence, and with 
a desire to keep its objects unalloyed and free from error and super- 
stition. Christ himself did not blame Thomas for availing himself of all 
possible evidence, but openly pronounced them blessed who would be open 
to conviction, even if some external form of evidence should not be within 
their reach."* 



♦ Dr. C. H. F. Bialloblotzky. 



38 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



The Twelve Apostles. 



In the distribution of their labors by the apostles, Parthia fell to the 
lot of Thomas, as we are informed by Origin. After preaching with suc- 
cess in this kingdom, he extended his mission over other parts of the East. 
Sophronius mentions that by his labors he established the faith among the 
Medes, Persians, Carmanians, and other nations of those parts. Modern 
Greek authors claim St. Thomas as the Apostle of both India and Ethiopia; 
but the last term is very vague, being given sometimes to Asia and some- 
times to a portion of Africa. Most accounts agree that this Apostle suffered 
martyrdom in some part of the East Indies. 

606. Who was St Matthew? 

He was both an apostle and an evangelist; a Hebrew, 
born in Galilee, and, previous to his 
conversion, portitor, or tax-gatherer. 
(See par. 575.) - 

607. Who was St. James, 
called ''the less''? 

He was an apostle, and the 
writer of an epistle called the Gen- 
eral Epistle of James. 

608. Who was Si. Jude? 
He was one of the apostles, the 

author of the Epistle of St. Jude, 
and a relative of our Lord. It 
would appear that St. Jude was 
cousin to Jesus, his mother being 
Mary, the wife of Cleophas, and 
the sister of the blessed Virgin. 

609. Who was Simon, sur- 
named Zelotes? 

He was one of the apostles, 
and was called Zelotes from his 
having belonged to a certain party 
among the Jews called Zealots. He is also called **the 
Canaanite," which does not mean a Gentile, but was an 
Aramaic name, bearing the same signification as Zelotes. 

610. Simon is the least known of all the apostles, whether we confine 
our search for his annals to the pages of Scripture, or extend them to the 
traditions of the Fathers. From the former source, not a single fact beyond 




ST. JAMES THE LES?. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



139 



The Twelve Apostles. 



his appointment to the apostleship is mentioned. The martyrologies of 
Jerome, Bede, Ado, and tJsuord place the scene of his labors and suffer- 
ing in Persia, at a city called Suanir. It is stated in the apocryphal acts 
of St. Andrew, that in the Cimmerian Bosphorus there was a tomb in a 
grotto, with an inscription importing that 
Simon the Zealot was interred there. His 
death is said to have been caused by the 
idolatrous priests. Those who mention his 
death say that he was crucified. 

611. Wh}) TPere St, John and his 
brother James called Boanerges, or 
sons of thunder? 

Because of the great zeal which 
induced them, before being enhght- 
ened by the inspirations of the Holy 
Ghost upon the day of Pentecost, to 
solicit permission from Christ to call 
down fire from heaven upon the 
heads of the Samaritans who rejected 
our Savior. 

612. That the zeal of St. John, although 
misdirected on this ocacsion, was grounded 
upon the most generous motives, is beyond all 
question. He was the youngest of the apostles 
called to that office. He was the only one of 
them that stood firmly at the side of Jesus 
when He was led to trial and suffering; to him 
was consigned, from the cross itself, the care ^ 
of the virgin mother of our Lord; and as the ^/^ 
author of the book of Revelation, he was the ' 
last of the New Testament writters to whom 
the Word of God was directly communicated. ST. jude. 

61 3. Who n>as Judas Iscariot? 

He was a Hebrew, and native of Kerioth, a town of 
Judah. The appellation Iscariot (from Kerioth) was to 
distinguish him from the Apostle Jude (Judas in Syriac- 
Greek) . 




614. He commonly accompanied Jesus and the eleven other apostles, 
whose traveling purse he bore. In this office of treasurer he displayed a 
greedy and dishonest spirit. This is insinuated in John, chapter xii, verse 
6, where it is said, "Not that he cared for the poor, but because he was 
a thief and had the bag, and bare what was therein." Commentators 
agree that the word "bare" here signifies "to convey away," "to em- 
bezzle." This spirit urged him to sell his Master for thirty pieces of 
silver (shekels), a sum equal to about twenty-three dollars of our money. 



140 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Why the Gospels were Written. 



In, the garden of Gethsemane he accomplished his wickedness, betraying 
his Master with a kiss, which served to make His person known to His 
foes. The perpetration of this wickedness, as is not unusual, brought re- 
morse, and remorse rose to intolerable anguish, which drove Judas to an 

effort to rescue his Master; and this failing, to 
self-destruction. The extreme turpitude of 
Judas has led some persons to endeavor, by 
any means, to find some mitigating circum- 
stances in his guilty act; but there can be 
little use in such a course. He appears to 
have been the slave of his avarice, which 
alone urged him to the commission of the 
crime with whiDh he stands charged in the 
gospels. "His last crime," that of despair, 
says an ancient father, **was his worst. If 
Judas had had recourse to sincere repentance 
and not to the halter, there was mercy in 
store even for the traitor." 



615. IVh^ TPere no commands 
given by Christ for writing the Nem 
Testament ? 

Because the truths of the New 
Covenant were to be impressed by 
the Holy Spirit, following upon the 
preaching and miracles of Jesus and 
his apostles. 



616. The dependence of Christianity on 
dead letters necessarily postponed the time 
when its doctrines and facts were committed 
to writing, at least in so express and formal a 
manner as is implied in the composition of 
histories; but the very epistles (of St. Paul) which conveyed those indirect 
reproaches against a religion in letters became the germ of a religious 
literature by far the richest as well most precious of all others, whose 
only great defect now is found to be a want of immediate connection with 
the first days of the planting of the gospel. That literature, under the 
guidance of Providence, came into existence at the bidding of circunt' 
stances*. St. Paul's churches required instruction and correction; therefore 
he wrote epistles. For the conversion of large masses of the world, 
arguments in proof of the Messiahship of Jesus were needed different in 
character, like those for whom they were intended; hence the gospels. 




ST. SIMON ZELOTES. 



* The words here italicized are used in a limited sense. The present 
work engages to give the best reason why of the subject under consideration; 
but there is no such thing strictly speaking, as "the bidding of circum- 
stances." Every thing is either ordered or permitted to be done by God, 
to whom everything is known, whether as regards the past, the present, or 
the future; for in the words of the Apostle St. Paul (to the Athenians), 
"in Him we live, and move, and have our being." (Acts xvii. 28.) 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



141 



'Gospel" and "Epistle." 



617. HoTv have the New Testament writings generally) 
been handed down to us? 

The Compositions forming the New Testament were 
primarily hand-writings, or, to use the more common term, 
manuscripts. 

618. Such manuscripts, as proceeding from their authors, may be 
called autographs, from autos, *'self," and ^raphein, to "grave," "to 
write;" as transcribed by others from the originals, apographs or copies. 
A manuscript is an autograph, whether written by the author or an 
amanuensis. The ancients seldom wrote their treaties with their own hands, 
but dictated them to others, called "swift writers," "fair writers," or 
simply "book writers." In this way, probably, a great part of the books 
of the New Testament were written. With the progress of the gospel, 
apographs were multiplied till they became very numerous, inasmuch as 
the demand for copies increased and spread on every side. Manuscripts, 
whether original or copies, comprised either portions or the whole of the New 
Testament. Such as comprised portions came first into existence; they con- 
sisted of one epistle or one gospel, or in each case of more than one. 

619. What was the origin of the present division into 
gospels and epistles? 

At an early period the Christian writings were read in 
the church assemblies, for which purpose they were divided 
into portions, containing 
either select passages 
which, when put to- 
gether, received the 
common name of lectio- 
narium, or **reader;'* 
and if it contained the 
gospels, evangeliarium, 
**book of the gospels;'* 
if the acts and epistles, 
epistolare, 

620. The manuscripts were 
transcribed with great care 
and diligence, and transmitted 
from hand to hand, from 
church to church, and from 
age to age. At first tran- 




MEDIAEVAL TRANSCRIBER. 



scription was the work of pious individuals; afterwards it became the 
duty of the inhabitants of religious houses,* in most of which was set apart 



* Monasteries. 



42 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



New Testament Manuscripts. 



a scriptorium, or writing-room, in which the transcription of manuscripts 
was systematically carried on. The conscientious care bestowed upon this 
important task secured the copies from depravation. The terrible words 
of St. John's last chapter, "He who adds to the words," etc., doubtless 
had its effect in maintaining their scrupulous fidelity; and we have reason 
to believe that, with some very trifling exceptions, the MSS. have not 
sufTred from falsification. These precious documents were thus preserved 
in and by writing till the revival of letters, when they were brought forth 
out of the dusty repositories in which they had long and quietly lain, and 
shortly after the invention of printing were happily put beyond the reach 
of danger by being consigned to the custody of the press. In order to 
appreciate the loving care and untiring patience of the old transcribers, 
the reader is advised to pay a visit to the manuscript department of the 
British Museum, where wiil be found a great many examples of the ancient 
mode of copying. 

62 1 . What was the material chiefly used for their man- 
uscripts fcp the writers of the New Testament books? 

Manuscripts at that time were for the most part written 
upon paper made from the papyrus plant (par. 13), but 
parchment made from skins of animals was also used. 

622. With regard to the manufacture of paper from papyrus, it should 
be observed that papyrus leaves, when they are dry, are apt to split in 
the direction of the fibres. It has commonly been found expedient, there- 
fore, to glue others at the back in an opposite direction, and by thus 
crossing the fibers at right angles the texture is strengthened; and when 
it has been pressed and polished, the page is less unseemly and incon- 
venient than might have been supposed. The inner bark of the pdpyrus 
was divided with a needle into very thin coats. These were placed side 
by side longitudinally, and the edges were glued together. Similar layers 
were glued across these behind at right angles to give the page the re- 
quisite strength. The sheets were then pressed, dried polished, and 
otherwise prepared for use. Pliny enumerates the various kinds of paper, 





CAPSA OR SCRINIUM FOR THE 
RECEPTION OF MSS. 



VOLUMEN OF MS. ROLL. 



from the coarsest, which was used, like our brown paper, for packing, to 
the most expensive and finest. At the zenith of the Roman power 
Alexandria was the chief seat of this valuable manufacture. 

The exportation of paper being prohibited by one of the Ptolemies out 
of envy against Kamenes, king of Pergamus, who endeavored to rival him 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



143 



Materials Used in their Preparation. 



in the magnificence of his library, the use of parchment, or the art of 
preparing for writing was discovered at Pergamus; hence called Pergamena 
scripta, or membrana, i. e., parchment. 

The Romans commonly wrote on one side of the paper or parchment; 
and if the sheets had not been previously formed into a quire by the 
binders, they joined them together when they had finished what they had 
to write. They were then rolled upon a cylinder or staff; hence volumen, 
a volume or scroll. 

623. What is the origin and meaning of the word Co- 
dex; as the *'Codex Justinianus,'' ''Codex Theodosianus.'' 
etc. ? 

The codex consisted of single sheets of parchment or 
papyrus, fastened together behind with a sHp or thong of 
leather. 

-624. These differed from the volumen or scroll by being generally 
preserved flat, and formed the original of our present book. The title of 
a volume or code along with the name of the author was sometimes written 
in red colors on the back of the first sheet, which remained visible after 
the sheets had been rolled on the cylinder, and sometimes upon a slip of 
paper attached to the volume. 

625. What is the origin of the word Rubric? 

It dates its origin from the above-mentioned red titles 
affixed to the first pages or to the exte- 
riors of volumes and codices. Indices 
and marginal notes came at length to 
be thus distinguished; hence the present 
rubric. 

626. What was 
the nature of the inl( 
used ? 

It appears 
have been what 
termed in art 
**body-color," or 
more solid medium 
than is at present in 
use, and similar to 
what is used by the 
INKSTAND. modern Chinese. 

627. The reason for this opinion is to be found in the elevation of 
the letters upon the Herculaneum MSS. The inkhorns were sometimes 
made of lead, sometimes of silver and were generally polygonal in their 





PUGILLANES. 



44 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Origin of Commentaries. 



form. (Fig. A.) In writing it was customary to make use of the Egyptian 
reed, Calamus arundo, though the reed from the island of Cnidos was 
frequently preferred. (Quills were not used for writing until the seven- 
teenih century.) There reeds were provided with slits like our modern 
pens. 

The instrument used for writing on waxen tables was an iron pencil 
with a sharp point, called stylus or graphium. The stylus was broad at 
one end. so that when they wished to correct anything they turned the 
stylus and smoothed the wax with the broad end that they might write it 
anew. For the sake of this convenience, as well as for expedition, an author 
usually wrote on these tables previous to transcribing what he had written 
on paper or parchment. The Romans usually carried with them wherever 
they went small writing-tables called pugillanes (Fig. B, p. 143), made of 
citron, box-wood, etc., and containing three, four, five, or more leaves.* 

628. Why have so many commentaries upon the sacred 
Scriptures been considered necessary by theologians and by 
Christians generally ? 

Because of the necessity for transcription incidental to 
manuscript documents — and especially previous to the inven- 
tion of the art of printing — and the consequent liability to 
an imperfect and even a corrupt rendering. 

629. In the earliest period it was customary to write in initial, or 
capital letters, without making any distinction between single words by 
leaving a space, or between the different members of a sentence by punctu- 
ation. Hence errors might be easily committed by transcribers which it 
would be difficult afterwards to rectify. The lines were uniformly con- 
tinuous in prose writers as well as in poets. After a time, smaller letters 
were introduced. But the most important fact is the habit of abbreviating. 
Abbreviations occur not only in inscriptions upon monuments and coins, 
but also in MSS., and which appear to have been in use so long ar. the 
initial letters, and letters approximating ifi size to the initial, were ad- 
hered to. When the smaller letters came into use, and the abbreviations 
were gradually resolved, their meaning was but imperfectly understood, 
and thus errors were occasioned in the transcription of more ancient MSS. 
These abbreviations consist either in single letters for whole words, or in 
the first syllables of words, or also in particular signs, as in rhetorical, 
chemical, or musical works to denote different figures of speech, weights 
and measures. The invention of these belongs, without doubt, to the 
Greeks. Bui they were used equally by Greeks and Roman writers. 1 hey 
were particularly made use of by transcribers in the multiplication of 
copies. Another reason why commentaries are required is to be found in 
the various signification of the most common expressions scattered through 
the sacred text. These are — 

I. The literal signification, or sense, which is divided into the literal 
properly so called, or the plain acceptation of the words; and figurative- 
literal, when it would be obviously wrong to use the proper literal, as when 
our Savior is called "a lion," etc. 

* The Romans never wore a sword or dagger in the city. They often, 
upon a sudden provocation, used the graphium or style as a weapon; hence 
probably the stiletto of the modern Italians. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 145 



Difficulties of Interpretation. 



II. The mystical, or hidden sense, which is again divided: — L Into 
the allegorical, which refers to faith. 2. The tropological, or moral, 
relating to charity. And 3. The anagogical, or relating to hope. 

These different senses are exemplified in the word "Jerusalem''^ 

1. Jerusalem is taken in the literal sense when it means the capital of 
Judea. 

2. In a mystical-tropological sense when applied to the soul of man. 

3. In a mystical-allegorical when applied to Christ's Church on earth; 
and 

4. In a mystical-anagogical sense when applied to the Church tri- 
umphant in heaven or the state of the blessed. 

It has been stated (par. 16) that the first printed book was the Vul- 
gate, or Latin translation of the Bible. The first printed commentary was 
that by Nicholas de Lyra, issued about 1476. De Lyra, or Lyranus, was 
a native of Lyre in Normandy, from which place this name is derived. He 
was a converted Jew, and a man of great and comprehensive mind. He was 
among the earliest who brought Rabbinical learning to bear upon Christian 
archaeology and Biblical criticism in general. 

630. Wh}) do most of the New Testament Epistles 
commence n^ith the name of the writer? 

Because such was the custom among all the best writers 
of that age; indeed, it had become, by prescription, a kind 
of rule. 

631. In writing letters the Romans always put their own name first, 
then that of the person or persons to whom they wrote, sometimes with 
the addition of suo* as a mark of familiarity or fondness. They alwavs 
annexed the letter S. for salutem, sc. dicit ("wishes health"). As their 
names were prefixed to the letters, consequently there was no necessity to 
subscribe them. A wish was sometimes added for the prosperity of the 
person to whom they wrote, and this was termed subscripLio. As the 
Romans had no posts, letters were commonly despatched by messengers, 
and in these the name of this messenger was sometimes mentioned. 

632. Wh^ did the Jews, as a people, reject Jesus 
Christ, failing to recognize in Him the promised Messiah ? 

In order to answer this question fully, it is necessary to 
consider that, although in possession of the books of Moses, 
of the Psalms, and of the prophecies, which abounded in 
allusions to His advent, and pointed out the time and manner 
of His appearance, the Jews had become so grossly blinded 
to all spiritual things, that the very law and worship which 
they followed was a mere lip service, in which the heart had 
no place. 

633. They had come to expect in the Messiah an earthly prince — a 
kind of transcendant Solomon, who should conquer and subdue the earth 



* fits — e. g., Paul to his beloved Timothy. 



146 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Rabbinical Errors Concerning the Messiah. 



for them, and lay its spoils at their feet. The annexed extract, which 
applies to the present time, is equally pertinent with regard to the period 
of our Lord's life on earth: — 

"The greatest discordance prevails among the Jewish doctors respect- 
^ing the time of the Messiah's anticipated coming. They pretend that his 
appearance is delayed by the iniquities of Israel, and denounce all who 
attempt to calculate the exact time. 'May their bones swell and burst,* 
exclaims the Talmud; notwithstanding several calculations have been made 
from time to time, and falsified. The advantages expected from the 
Messiah are entirely of a temporary, sensual, and earthly kind, but, of 
course, nothing is to be hoped for by the Gentiles. Rablii Machir, who 
lived at the end of the 14th century, in a work entitled 'Avchath Rochel,' 
describes numerous commotions and prodigies which are to precede the 
coming of the Messiah. This account, in an abridged form is as follows: — • 
'When Israel shall be gathered from all nations, and brought into the land 
of their forefathers, and Messiah shall have rebuilt the city, and restored 
the temple with its services, He will celebrate, as the rabbis assure us, 
a royal festival, to which all Israelites will be invited, where they will 
have a gracious reception, and every one be seated at a goMen table. At 
this feast He will entertain Himself and the company with a battle between 
Behemoth and Leviathan. The feats of Behemoth will be highly gratify- 
ing, and Leviathan will come armed with his scales as a breastplate an^ 
coat of mail. The battle will be fierce, but neither party will be victorious. 
Both will fall exhausted, when Messiah, with a great and strong sword, will 
slay them. These tremendous animals, together with the enormous bird 
Bar Jachne, are then to be spitted and laid to the fire, and all needful 
preparations made for the splendid banquet. Bread is to be obtained 
from wheat vv'hich will greatly surpass the growth of our days, as much as 
Bar Jachne exceeds a common bird. Sauce is to be yielded in perfection 
in the salted Leviathan; and the dessert to consist of all the delicious 
productions of the garden of Eden, including even some of the fruit of the 
tree of life. The guests are to be treated with the most exquisite wine, 
which had been produced in Paradise immediately after the creation, and 
preserved in Adam's wine cellar for this great occasion. Toward the end 
of the feast, the Messiah will fill a cup for the guests, over which they 
are to say grace; and the Messiah will be requested to perform this office, 
but God will oflFer it to Michael, Michael to Gabriel, Gabriel to Abraham, 
Abraham to Isaac, Isaac to Moses, Moses to Joshua; but each declining 
in succession, God will assign it to David. The cup will contain about 
214 gallons. What remains of the provisions will be divided among the 
guests, who will sell them in the market at Jerusalem. Of part of the 
skin of Leviathan will be made tabernacles, pavilions, or awnings for the 
just, and the rest will be spread upon the walls of Jerusalem, diffusing 
a light to the extremities of the world. The banquet is to be followed, 
and the festival concluded, by music and dancing. The Messiah is after- 
wards to marry, having the daughters of kings for wives, but one of the 
most beautiful virgins of ^Israel as the principal wife or queen. Different 
periods of time are allotted for the duration of his reign, but all agree that 
Hs will die like other men, his son reigning in his stead, and his posterity 
in succession.' " — Encyclop. Metropolitana: Article, "Co^'s Biblical 
Antiquties." 

634. Whence has the practice originated of dating 
historical events from ''the year of our Lord?'' 

It IS to DIonysius the Little that we owe the custom of 

counting the years by the birth of our Savior. Till then 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



47 



The Christian Era or "Anno Domini." 



the Christians had followed in this respect the custom estab- 
lished in their several countries. The most part, hov/ever, 
reckoned from the foundation of Rome, or the succession of 
consuls or that of emperors. 

635. But in the sixth century the Christian era of Dionysius was 
generaUy adopted. It begins the 25th of March, the day of our Savior's 
incarnation, and this is the epoch whence all the dates of briefs issued from 
the court of Rome are supposed to derive. The ordinary custom, however, 
is to date the beginning of the year from the 1st of January. Thus the 
era of Dionysius begins nine months before the era ordinary among 
Christians. ^ 

636. Wh]) is this era called the ''Diow^sian?'' 
Because introduced by Dionysius in the 6th century, in 
order to determine the date of Easter. 



637. The commencement of this computation is called the Dionysian 
period, and also the Victorian period, from Victor of Aquitain, who revised 
it. The opinion most generally followed places the birth of our Savior 
under the year 4000 from the creation of the world. But there are good 
reasons for supposing it to have occurred somewhat earlier. According 
to the common system, the beginning of our era answers to the seven 
hundred and seventy-sixth year of the Olympiads, the seven hundred 
and fifty-second from the foundation of Rome, and to the seven hundred 
and forty-seventh of the era of 
Nabonassur, King of Babylon; this 
last is famous among the astronomers, 
on account of the great use which 
Ptolemy, among others, made of it. 
It commenced the 26th of February. 
But if we would compare it with the 
Christian era, we must remember that 
its years consisted only of three hun- 
dred and sixty-five days. 



638. Why is the head of 
our Savior, when exhibited in 
painting and sculptures, ivith 
a **g/or}p" or circle of ra})s? 

Because thus the universal 
mind of Christianity endeav- 
ors to express its conviction 
that He is the light of the 
spirtual world, in the same way that the sun is the central 
light of the lower creation. 




148 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Emblematical Representations. 



639. Jesus Christ has been frequently represented under the form of a 
lamb;* but He is besides frequently drawn under that of the Good Shepherd, 

who guards the lambs. Jesus, as a 
lamb, yielded up His life without a 
murmur, and He also, like a shepherd, 
filled with solicitude for His flock, camo 
to seek the lost man, and to lead him 
back to the bosom of his God. Jesus 
as He has Himself said, is the Good 
Shepherd, who seeks and bears upon his 
shoulders the wandering sheep, the un- 
faithful soul, and brings it back to the 
fold. The painted monuments in the 
Roman catacombs (from one of which 
the annexed cut is taken) constantly 
present the figure of a shepherd, some- 
times youthful and beardless, clad in a 
short tunic, striped with two longitudinal 
bands; he is standing, and bears upon 
his shoulders the sheep that had been 
lost, and that he had loved. In the de- 
sign it will be seen that the shepherd 
has in his right hand a pan-pipe, whilst 
with the left, he holds the sheep securely 
on his shoulders. Any illustrations taken 
from the catacombs should have for 
Christians a most intense interest, see- 
ing that it was here, in the hols^ and 
caves of the earth, that the followers of 
their crucified Lord, during the first 
frightful persecutions under the Roman 




JESUS CHRIST, THE GOOD 
SHEPHERD. 



#^f% 



Emperors, were alone enabled to hold ther religious meetings 

640. Why is the Tri- 
angle surrounded with 
glory used as an emblem 
of the Holy Trinity? 

Because tKat figure 
being one, yet three-fold 
— each side or face equal 
to the other — is an apt 
representation, as far as 
any created thing 6an be, 
of the triune nature of 
God, as expressed in the 
sacred Scriptures, and de- 
fined in the Apostles' 
and Athanasian Creeds. 




* See the heading to Chapter VHL 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 149 

B.C. 1. — The Gospel History. 



64L "The triangle is the linear emblem of God and the Holy Trinity. 
The name of God, or Jehovah, is inscribed in Hebrew letters within the 
triangle, and both the name and the figure are placed in the center of a 
radiating circle, symbolic of eternity. God the Father, or Jehovah, here 
occupies the field of the triangle, or the Trinity, which is itself contained 
within the circle of eternity." — Didron's Christian Iconography. 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE FOUR GOSPELS. 



642. W^/iV i^^s Zacharias the priest and the father of 
John the Baptist struck dumb? (Luke i.) 

Because of his incredulity when it was announced to him 
by an angel that he should have a son by his wife Elizabeth, 
who should be the precursor of the Messiah'. 



643. Zacharias, while engaged in burning incense, was visited by the 
angel Gabriel, who informed him that, in compliance with his prayers, his 
wife should bear a son, whose name he should call John. Although he had 
prayed for this blessing, he seems to have been doubtful of its fulfillment, 
even after the appearanc and assurance of the angel. Accordingly, he 
asks for some sign or token that this shall surely come to pass. A token 
is given him. He shall be dumb — his tongue shall be sealed till the 
prediction fulfilled by the event. 

In was customary with the Jews, when they heard that any wonderful 
event was to take place, to inquire whether the Almighty had manifested 
his will by any supernatural sign. 

Zacharias appears to have been made both deaf and dumb, for when 
the child had to be named, and the wish of its father had to be ascertained, 
it was necessary to communicate with him by means of writing tablets. 

644. IVh^ is it said of Zacharias that his lot Tvas to 
burn incense when he Tvent into the temple of the Lord? 
(Luke i. 9.) 

Because the priests drew lots for the different functions 
to be performed in the same week; and now it fell to the lot 
of Zacharias to burn or offer up incense, morning and even- 
ing, in that part of the temple called the Holy, wkere was 
the altar of incense. 



150 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

B.C. 1. — Birth of St. John the Baptist. 

645. Why is it remarked that *'the multitude were pray- 
ing Ti?ithout'' at the time of incense^ 

In order to show that the angel who appeared to Zacha- 
rias was sent to him alone, and could not be seen by the 
people. 

646. Why Tvas an angel sent to announce the birth of 
John the Baptist? 

Because of the high dignity to which, as the precursor of 
Jesus Christ, he had been called. 

647. Angels had visited the patriarchs of the old covenant, and John, 
as the last of the prophets, was thus appropriately distinguished. 

648. Why was the son of Zacharias to he called John? 
No particular reason is stated in the Scritptures, but the 

meaning of the word being **grace," or **favor," we may 
infer that it was signicant of the forerunner of Him who is 
the source of all grace and blessing to man. 

649. As now in baptism, names were given in circumcision. Great 
importance was attached to the name of a child; it indicated at least the 
wish of the sponsors, and was often a form of dedication to some particular 
work. The prophetical character annexed to most of the patriarchs enabled 
them to foreshadow the future vocation and character of the child. ' Hence, 
"he shall be named Jesus" — /. e., a Savior, "for he shall save his 
people from their sins." 

650. Why was the mother of Jesus, who was to he horn 
of a virgin, espoused to Joseph? 

Because, besides that an espousal did not necessitate their 
living together, it was desirable that Mary should be con- 
signed to the care of a lawful protector. 

65L Espousing or betrothing was a solemn promise of marriage made 
by two persons each to the ofher at such a distance of time as they agreed 
upon. After such espousal was made (which was generally when the 
parties were young) the woman continued with her parents several months — 
sometimes years — before she was brought home to the house of her husband. 

652. Why was the blessed Virgin Mary ''troubled** at 
the angelical message announcing that she should be the 
mother of the Messiah? (Luke i.) 

Because, as appears from the ancient commentators, she 
had devoted herself to a life of virginity, and she did not 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 151 

A.C.* 1.— The Foster-Father of Jesus Christ. 

immediately apprehend how her condition as a mothej- could 
be compatible with the maintenance of that vow. 

653. The angel saw the trouble of her mind and to appease it informed 
her that she should conceive by the miraculous power of God and that her 
child should be holy, and be called "the Son of God." As a confirmaton 
of her faith in this announcement, she was also told by the angel that her 
cousin, Elizabeth, the wife of Zacharias the priest, who was now far 
advanced in years, had conceived a son, and that the time was not far ofiE 
when her reproach among women should cease. 

654. Why is the angelical message to the blessed Virgin 
Mary called the Annunciation? (Luke i.) 

Because, although the word in a general sense expressed 
the communication of important intelligence by chosen mes- 
sengers from heaven, it became at a very early period of 
Christianity restricted to the announcement of the miraculous 
conception of our Savior, on account of the overwhelming 
importance of that message above all others, whether of the 
old or the new dispensation. 

655. So highly was the fact regarded in the early ages that a festival, 
or day specially set apart for the consideration and honor of the; Annun- 
ciation, was appointed for it as early as the 7th century; but sermons of St. 
Athanasias are spoken of which, being of an earlier date, prove its observ- 
ance long before. T^e 25th of March, or Lady Day, is that observed in 
reference to the event. 

656. Who rvas St. Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus 
Christ ■' 

He was **a just man," a Jew of the house and family of 
Davidr and by trade a carpenter. 

657. Why was his occupation of carpenter no disgrace 
to St. Joseph? 

Because among the ancient Jews all handicrafts were 
held in so much honor that they were learned and pursued 
by the first men of the nation. 

658. Why have several attempts been made by old 
commentators to prove that Joseph and our Lord were not 
carpenters but goldsmiths? 

Because of the erroneous impression that the latter calling 



* A.C., After Christ. — This form of abbreviation has been adopted in 
preference to the Latin A.D. or Anno Domini. 



152 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 1. — Was St. Joseph a Carpenter? 

was more honorable than the former, and because the words 
of the original MS. are capable of that construction. 

659. Why is it most reasonable to conclude that St, 
Joseph was a carpenter, and not anything else? 

Because the overwhelming evidence of tradition goes to 
prove it. 

660. Schleusner asserts that the universal testimony of the ancient 
Church represents our Lord as being a carpenter's son. Justin Martyr says 
that our Lord, in conjunction with his foster-father, made yokes and plows. 
Only those ignorant of ancient usages could find fault with this arrange- 
ment of Providence. Julian the Apostate affected to laugh at the menial 
position of Jesus Christ; and it is recorded of Libanius, one of that 
emperor's officers, that he demanded jestingly of a hermit what the Car- 
penter's Son was at that moment doing. The hermit replied, dryly, "He 
is engaged upon a coffin for Julian." The emperor died very shortly after 
this, while engaged in an Eastern battle. 

661 . Why has the name of Elizabeth, the mother of tjie 
Baptist, a significant character? 

Because its equivalent, Elisheba, was the name of the 
wife of Aaron, the head of the priesthood, and, hence, was 
a link 'between the sacredotal orders of the Old and New 
Testaments. 

662. Why did the mother of Jesus visit her cousin, St. 
Elizabeth ? 

Because, understanding from the angel that the latter 
had conceived, she was desirous of seeing and congratulating 
her. 

663. Why did the child of Elizabeth, as yet unborn, 
**leap'' at the approach of the mother of Jesus? 

Because, being presanctified and miraculously informed 
of the presence of his future Savior, he took that mode of 
showing his joy. 

664. Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months, till the 
Baptist was born and circumcised and then returned to her own house at 
Nazareth. 

665. Why rvas Joseph at first troubled at the maternal 
appearance of Mary? 

Because, previous to the angel's warning visit, he was 
ignorant of the miraculous conception of Jesus. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



153 



A.C. 1. — The Angels and the Shepherds. 



666. Wh^ were Mar}) and Joseph obliged to remove from 
Nazareth to Bethlehem-'^ 

Because of an edict which went forth from Augustus 

Caesar, ordering a complete 
census* of the Roman em- 
pire to be taken, and which 
forced them to go to their 
native city to be enrolled. 




AUGUSTUS. 



667. After many long and 
violent struggles for superiority 
amongst the Roman chiefs, the 
whole world was then in peace, 
under the command of Augustus 
Caesar. A census being ordered 
to he taken, Mary and Joseph 
being of the house and family 
of David, must needs present 
themselves "before the appointed 
officers at their own town. A 
long journey in December, when short days and the wintry season in- 
commoded the most sturdy traveler, was necessarily attended with grear 
inconvenience to a delicate woman in Mary's condition; but in the 
emperor's edict she adored the hand of God ,and respectfully submitted 
to his divine pleasure. 

668. Wh^ Were Mar}) and Joseph forced to lodge in a 
stable at Bethlehem? 

Because, being come to that city, they found, from the 
great concourse of visitors, that all the inns and private lodg- 
ings were full. 

669. In vain did Joseph anxiously seek through Bethlehem for a 
shelter in some degree adequate to the dignity of his espoused wife and 
the necessities of her situation. They were forced to be conient with a 
shed, beneath which they screened themselves against the inclemency of 
the night. This was the place and these were the circumstances in which 
our divine Redeemer chose to appear. When the night had finished half 
its course, and the whole creation lay hushed in silence, when the hour 
was come for the Eternal Word to be born in time, the virgin brought 
forth her first-born son, wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid 
him in the manger. 

670. Why was the first public notification of the birth 
cf Christ given to simple and humble shepherds, and not to 
their superiors in rank and education among the Jews? 

Because the very character of the new dispensation — the 
gospel which was to be preached to the poor — demanded 
this preference. 



154 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 1. — The Angels and the Shepherds. 

671. Wb}) did the mother of Jesus go with St, Joseph 
from Nazareth to Bethlehem? 

Because it was the custom among the Jews to be num- 
bered according to their tribes and famiHes. Being of the 
house and family of David, they were obHged to present 
themselves at Bethlehem, **the city of David," where the 
appointed registrar w^as sitting. 

672. This journey was a painful one on several accounts for Joseph 
and Mary: the delicate condition of the latter — th3 poverty of their 
equipage^ which had to be exposed to the gaze of the more wealthy members 
of the kingly family — the inclemency of the season, it being the depth 
of winter — all concurred to exercise their faith and patience. But thus 
the ways of Providence were brought about, and the prophecies fulfilled. 

673. Wh^ Tvas the name Ephratah affixed to that of 
Bethlehem? 

Because that was the ancient name of the town. It sig- 
nified ''fruitful." When the word Bethlehem came into use 
the latter term was joined to it. 

674. Wh^ was Jesus Christ laid in a manger? 

Because it had been so prophesied, and it was the pur- 
pose of his heavenly father to exhibit the Savior of mankind 
in the humblest possible position. 

675. On the eastern side of the town of Bethlenem there was a cave 
cut in the side of a rock, in which was a manger, used by the people of 
those environs, so that the shepherds easily understood the angel who told 
them they should find him laid in a manger. It is the common tradition 
that. an ox and an ass were in the joint occupancy of the stable at the 
time of the shepherds' visit. 

In the neighborhood of Bethlehem shepherds were standing continually 
upon the watch to guard their flocks from wild animals, and from robbers. 
These shepherds were not owners, but merely poor hired servants, who 
earned a scanty subsistence by their labor. 

676. Wh^ did the angelic messenger address the shep- 
herds with the words ''Fear not'' ? 

Because the unusual spectacle, as it is described by the 
evangelist Luke (ii. 10), accompanied as it was with a 
great light, must necessarily have appalled them. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 155 

A.C. 1. — Adoration of the "Magi." 

677. The great light surrounding the angel symbolized the glory of the 
New Testament doctrines, and was a literal fulfillment of the prophecy of 
Isaiah ix. 2: "The people that walked in darknesji have seen a great light." 

678. Wh]) is Anna the prophetess so called, seeing that 
the race of the prophets had ceased for several hundred 
^ears ? 

She was so called out reverence for her character and 
virtues, having lived in the temple probably for half a cen- 
tury, serving God with fastings and prayers night and day. 

679. Wh}) was Christ* s second manifestation to the 
Gentiles — or ''the Magi'' — and not to the Jen>s? 

Because the latter had, by their leaders, universally 
apostatized from a spiritual worship, and this rebuke was 
sent for their punishment. 

680. At the period of Christ's advent, Judea was in the lowest 
imaginable state of oppression and abjection; for four hundred years the 
voices of their prophets and priests had been silent, the voice of the 
Maccabees only breaking the silence in words of hope and consolation. 
But even the language of these men, inferior as it was to their inspired 
forefathers, was not the language of the people. The priests, who still 
retained some power, were but a poor, worthless race; mean-spirited, 
ungenerous, envious, cruel, and oppressive. Not a word could be said 
in praise of any of those who discharged public functions. A few, indeed, 
prayed in secret, and hoped for some great blessing to spring like light 
from a morning which is overclouded; but the representatives of the 
Hebrew polity were sunk in lethargic listlessness, like a patient in that 
comatose state which precedes dissolution. 

681. Why did the angels sing ''peace on earth, good 
tdHI to men'? 

Because it was a leading characteristic of the gospel to 
bring peace, whereas the preceding covenant had been of a 
very different tendency. 

682. IVh}) did our Savior submit himself to the rite of 
circumcision ? 

I . Because, as a descendant of Abraham, he was bound 
by the law until its supercession. 2. Because he would give 
his followers an example of obedience to ordinances. 

683. Why did our Savior receive the name of Jesus? 
Because he was to be the saviour of the world, the name 

signifying a saviour. 



56 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



A.C. 1.— The Star in the East. 



b84. Wh^ is our Savior called Jesus Christ? 

Because he is thus pointed out as the anointed one, the 
great dehverer, king, priest, and prophet, who was to come 
and to fulfill all righteousness. 

685. When we say that Jesus is the Christ, we, in effect say, "This 
is he of whom Moses, in the law, and the prophets wrote; the seed of 
the woman who was to bruise the head of the serpent; the seed of 
Abraham in whom all the nations of the earth were, to be blessed; the 
great prophet to be raised up like unto Moses, whom all were to hear 
and obey; the priest, after the order of Melchizedek; the rod out of 
the stem of Jesse, which should stand for an ensign of the people, to 
which the Gentiles should seek; the Virgin's son, whose name should be 
called Immanuel; the branch of Jehovah; the angel of the covenant; the 
Lord of the temple, etc., whose appropriate appellations should be 'Won- 
derful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince 
of Peace.' " (Isaiah ix. 6.) All this is implied in saying that Jesus is 
the Christ. In the plainer language of the New Testament, Jesus Christ 
means "God manifest in the fliesh." (1 Timothy iii. 16.) 

686. Wh}) did the Magi, or mse men from the east, 
come to adore the infant Savior? 

Because, while devoutly looking forward to the advent 
of the Messiah, they were miraculously advised of his 
birth by the appearance of a star. 

687. How this star was a means of conveying to them the necessary 
information we know not. The wise men declare to the Jewish leaders, 
"we have seen his star in the east, and have come to adore him;" but 
they do not explain further. They knew it to be his star, either by some 
prophecy or by Divine revelation. That they were kings is the prevalent 
opinion. Prophecy had said that such should come from afar to visit the 
infant Savior. Being eager to find this new-born king they follow the 
star. At Jerusalem the star disappears, and they make inquiries of the 
priests. These inform them that the Messiah should be born at Bethlehem 
— "And thou, Bethlehem-Ephratah," etc. Accordingly they direct their 
steps thither, and immediately the star reappears, leading them forward, 
until it finally rests over the spot where the object of their wishes and 
journeyings was reposing. 

688. Why, although our Savior Tvas horn in a stable 
and laid in a manger, are the Magi, or Tvise men, represented 
(Matt. ii. 11) as ^'entering the house to adore'' him? 

Because, after the birth had taken place the holy family 
were enabled to obtain a more suitable dwelling, in conse- 
quence of the multitude of visitors to Bethlehem (on account 
of the enrollment) having, for the most part, returned to their 
homes. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 157 

A.C. L — Herod's Cruelty. 

689. Wh}) did the Magi offer to Jesus Christ "'gold, 
frankincense, and m'\)rrK' ? 

Because, in the figurative style of the eastern nations, 
they thereby typified (by Divine illumination) his three- fold 
character as king (by the gold), God (by the incense), and 
man (by the myrrh). The latter being the chief material 
used in embalming. 

690. Wh"^ was Herod troubled when he knew that the 
Magi were seeking for a new-born k^ng? 

Because, while their Jewish people and the Sanhedrim 
looked for the coming of an earthly deliverer, he, as the 
king de facto of Judea, dreaded the rising of a power inim- 
ical to his own, and probably subversive of it. 

69L The conduct of the Jewish doctors on that important occasion 
was not unaccountable. They told Herod, when he inquired of them,, that 
Bethlehem was the place where he might find the infant. They cited 
him the very passage out of the prophet, but maliciously suppressed the 
latter part of the prophecy, which would have informed him that no 
temporal crown could be the object of Him, who was from the beginning 
and "whose coming forth was from eternity." Herod having thus received 
from the doctors the information he wanted, sent for the Magi. He told 
them to test the information received, and to bring him word back. But 
being warned of God in a dream, they, after their visit to the heavenly 
crib, departed to their own land by another road. 

692. Why did Herod give orders for the slaughter of 
the innocents of Bethlehem? 

Because he considered himself mocked by the wise men, 
and sought, by a general massacre, to destroy the infant 
Savior. 

693. The Scripture (Matt. ii. 16) says, "Then Herod, when he saw 
that he was mocked of the wise men was exceeding wroth, and sent forth 
and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts 
thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he 
had diligently inquired of the wise men." 

694. Why did the mother of Jesus, who remained a 
pure virgin, present herself at the temple for the purposes of 
''purification * ? (Luke ii.) 

Because, as her Divine Son had submitted to the Mo- 
saical law of circumcision, she would be equally subject to 
the law of purification. 



58 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



A.C. 1. — Meaning of "Nunc Dimitis." 



695. She knew, indeed, that the law could not affect her, but she 
also knew that the public was not then acquainted with her singular 
priviliges. Upon the same occasion Mary had to present her Son in 
the temple, and to redeem Him from its service by means of a ransom, 
which in her circumstances was the offering of two doves. This was in 
memory of what happened to the first-born in Egypt, when the Israelites 
were delivered from thence. The Levitical law ordained that every first- 
born son should be consecrated to the Lord, or redeemed by a stated 
price, viz., for the rich a lamb, for the poor a pair of turtle-doves. 

696. Wh^ is it usual to bow or bend the head at the 
mention of the name of Jesus ? 

Because of the universally received interpretation of a 
passage in Philippians ii. I 0, **At the name of Jesus every 
knee shall bow, of things in heaven, of thing in earth, and 
of things under the earth." 

697. A mark of the universal reverence with which this name is 
received among Christians, and, indeed, throughout the whole civilized^ 
world, is observable in the fact that since the birth of our Savior it has 
been withdrawn from common use. Previous to that event no name was 
of more prevalent use among Jews and other Oriental nations. At the 
time of our Lord's nativity, the name of Jesus was, perhaps, the com- 
monest appellation in Palestine. Hence the second name, "Jesus of 
Nazareth," Jesus who is called Christ," for distinction sake. 

698. What "Was the occasion of the Song of Simeon, or 
what is known as the anthem, ''Nunc Dimitis'* ? 

It was as follows: — There lived at that time in Jerusa- 
lem a pious man, named Simeon, who waited for **the Con- 
solation of Israel," that is, the Messiah; and it had been 
revealed to him that, ere he left the world, his eyes should 
be gladdened with a sight of Him. 

699. By a secret inspiration he came into the temple, at the very 
moment that Jesus was brought thither by his parents. Filled with faith 
and joy, he approached the holy family, and took the infant up in his 
arms, at the same time giving utterance to the beautiful canticle, "Lord, 
now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word, for 
mine eyes have seen thy salvation. 

700. Wh]) is the aged Simeon described as waiting for 
''the Consolation of IsraeV ? 

Because the Jews were accustomed to style the expected 
Messiah the Consolation. 

70L ^^May I never see the Consolation" was, and is, a common mode 
of speaking among them. v 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 159 



A.C. 1.— The Flight into Egypt. 



702. Why did the hoi]) iamily fly into Egypt? 
Because of the anger of Herod, and in order to escape 

its consequences. 

703. An angel in the night informed Joseph of the murderous design 
that this wretched king had upon the life of Jesus; accordingly, without 
hesitation, he arises, saddles the humble beast which affords to the holy 
family their only means of transit, and departs. Nor was their journey 
a mere change of residence from one friendly country to another; they 
were ordered to go to Egypt, an idolatrous land, and one that was the 
least friendly to the Hebrew people. There, amid strangers, and sur- 
rounded by all the concomitants of poverty, did the Savior of the world 
condescend to pass the first year of his earthly life. 

704. Why is the name of Herod applied in the New 
Testament to dif event person, without the distinguishing 
marks. First, Second, Third (I., II., III.).-^ 

Because it was the common name of the Herodian fam- 
ily, each male member of which was called by it, in the 
same way as Pharaoh was the common name for a dynasty 
of kings in Egypt. 

705. The Herods who ruled during the events narrated in the 
Gospels were the four following: — Herod, called "the great," and his 
three sons, Archelaus, Philip, and Antipas. Herod the Great, who was 
also called Herod the Idumean, was sole ruler of Judea under the Romans. 
To his sons he left the kingdom, thus divided : — Archelaus ruled Judea, 
Idumea, and Samaria; Philip, Balanea, Trachonitis, etc.; Antipas, Galilee 
and Perea. 

706. Why did Herod, for so comparatively small an 
object as the removal of one infant, commit such a wholesale 
slaughter as the murder of the innocents of Bethlehem? 

It was his usual mode of proceeding under such circum- 
stances. History informs us that, to attain his end, he never 
hesitated to imbrue his hands in blood, even in that of his 
nearest relatives. 

707. The following bloody deeds will show that the slaying of the 
infants was in perfect accordance with the character of Herod; the account 
is taken from Josephus, as arranged by Dr. Lardner : — Aristobulus, brother 
of his wife Mariamne, was murdered by his direction at eighteen years 
of age, because the people of Jerusalem had shown some affection for his 
person. In the seventth year of his reign he put to death Hyrcanus. 
grandfather of Mariamne, then eighty years of age, and who had formerly 
saved Herod's life, a man who had, in every revolution cf fortune, 
shown a mild and peaceable disposition. His wife Mariamne, described 
by all as amiable and beautiful, had a public execution, and her mother 
Alexandra soon followed her. Alexander and Aristobulus, his two sons by 



60 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



A.C. 3. — Miserable Death of Herod. 



Mariamne, were strangled in prison by his orders, upon groundless 
suspicions, when they were at man's estate, were married, and had 
children. In his last sickness, a little before he died, he sent orders 
throughout Judea requiring the presence of all the chief men of the 
nation at Jericho. His orders were obeyed, for they were enforced with 
no less a penalty than that of death. Arrived at Jericho, he had them 
all shut up in the circus, and calling for his sister Salome andl her 
husband Alexis, he said to them, '*My life is now short; I know the 
Jewish people, and that nothing will please them better than my death. 
You have them now in your custody: as soon as the breath is out of my 
body, and before my decease can be known, do you let in the soldiers 
upon them, and kill them. All Judea, then, and every family, will, though 
unwillingly, mourn at my death." Nay, Josephus says that, with tears in 
his eyes, he conjured them, by their love to bim, not to fail in doing 
-liim this honor. What wonder, then, after this account, at his murder- 
ing wholesale the infants of Bethlehem? Surely there could be no cruelty, 
barbarity, or horrid deed which such a man was not capable of perpe- 
trating. 

708. What TiPas the came of Herod's death? 

He suffered from a most dreadful disease, a kind of con- 
tinued inflammation of the bowels, which terminated in a 
slow mortification. 

709. According to Josephus, a devouring fire seemed to rage within 
him, and his pains were unutterable, whilst his inner parts underwent a 
constant dying and corruption. His person became loathsome to all who 
approached him, and he was consumed by a fierce hunger which nothing 
could appease. This kind of malady was regarded by the Jevvish people 
as a chastisement specially reserved by God for the punishment of 
unrighteous and tyrannous kings, and as such was inflicted upon Herod. 

7 1 0. Wh^ did the Hol}^ Family return to Nazareth in- 
stead of Bethlehem? 

Because, although informed by an angelical messenger 
of the death of Herod, they knew that his son Archelaus 
reigned in his stead, and they feared that some danger still 
existed should they reside in Judea. 

711. That the mother and foster-father of Jesus were following thus 
the Divine direction is evident from the allusion made to this sojourn in 
Nazareth by the evangelist (Matt. ii. 23), who makes it a fulfillment of 
the prophecy, "He shall be called a Nazarene." 

712. IVh^ was Jesus Christ, rvho did not, like the Bap- 
tist, follou> the observances of that order, called a Nazarene? 

Because by that term was frequently meant nothing more 
than a person of no estate — one of no account — a mean 
individual. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 161 

A.C. 12. — Jesus lost by his parents. 

713. Wh}) TPas Archelaus deposed? 

Because his tyrannous character and conduct rendered 
him hateful to the Jews; they made some very strong and 
united complainJts to the Emperor Augustus, who, finding 
their remonstrances to be just, banished him (a.C. 7.) to 
Vienna in Gaul. 

714. Wh]) did the JeTVs acquiesce in the change which, 
while it constituted Judea a Roman province, too}^ awa]^ the 
last shadow of independence from the nation? 

1 . Because, although hating the Roman yoke equally 
with that of any other alien power, they preferred it to that 
of Archelaus or any member of the Herodian family. 2. 
They unwittingly thereby carried out the views of Provi- 
dence in the fulfillment of prophecy. 

715. See Gen. xlix. 10 — "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, 
nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come." The Messiah, 
or Shiloh, had now come, and the prophecy had to be, to the merest "jot 
and title," verified. 

716. How did it happen that Jesus was lost by his 
parents when, at twelve y^ears of age, he went up with them 
to the passover at Jerusalem? 

It might have happened thus : In these journeys the men 
formed a separate company to the women, and the children 
who had attained the legal age, and accompanied their elders, 
went indifferently with either company. Thus, Jesus would 
be occasionally found with Joseph, and occasionally with 
Mary. And he might easily have been left behind without 
exciting apprehension, each company presuming that he was 
with the other. 

717. Jesus was found in the court of the temple, because, not being 
a Levite, he could not enter into the temple itself. His disputation with 
the doctors was such as became a child. There is no reason to suppose 
that he listened, or asked questions in any but the most respectful 
manner. 

Another reason why Jesus should not have been missed by his loving 
mother and foster-father was, that at such a time the city of Jerusalem 
was immensely crowded. It was then the city not of the tribe of Judah, 
but of the whole people of Jewry. Every street and square, every house, 
and even the courts of the houses were filled with visitors. The utmost 
hospitality prevailed, one family or party eating, dwelling, sleeping, 
with another, and a kind of community of goods for the time prevailing. 



162 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 12-30.— The Retirement of Nazareth. 

As those who came from a distance had no need \o bring with them any 
provision for the journey, so in departing there was nothing to collect and 
pack up. Hence Jesus was not so anxiously looked for by his parents, as 
ordinarily he would have been. 

718. Wh^ rvas Jesus Christ accompanied to Jerusalem 
b^ his mother, seeing that fcp the law women Were not re- 
quired to mal^e the journe})? 

Because, although the letter of the law did not require 
it, the custom was for a child, when making his first visit to 
Jerusalem, in accordance with the precept, to be accom- 
panied by his mother. 

719. This visit formed an era in the life of a Jewish youth. The 
son then assumed one of the responsible obligations of manhood. It was 
a period answerable, in some respects, to that of confirmation among 
Christian children of the Protestant Episcopal, and Lutheran Churches. It 
was, therefore, one of those occasions in which a mother would naturally 
take a part. 

720. Wh"^ is so little narrated of the life of Jesus dur- 
ing the thirty y^ears that he sojourned with his parents at 
Nazareth ? 

Because the object of the evangelists was to give an 
account of his public life only, not of that portion which he 
passed privately. 

721. It is said that Jesus went down to Nazareth with Mary and 
Joseph, and was subject to them. The meaning of which is understood 
to be, that he performed the duty of a faithful and obedient son; and 
not improbably was engaged in the trade of his foster-father — that of a 
carpenter. Every Jew was required to learn a trade, and, consequently, 
to do so was not considered derogatory even to one who was of the house 
and family of David. If industry is honorable in itself, how greatly is 
even a mechanical occupation elevated by the example of our Savior. 

722. Why did Jesus Christ, foreseeing the reproach that 
would attach to the name of Nazarene, choose to reside in 
that town for nearly thirty years of his earthly life? 

Because it was his purpose to lay the foundations of his 
Church in humility, and out of the weak things of this world 
to confound the strong. 

723. The whole purpose of the New Testament morality, as regards 
this life, was to exalt the consideration of poverty and a mean station. In 
order to do this, Jesus chooses to be born of poor parents, in a poor mean 
stable; to dwell for many y»ars in a miserable town; to elect his first 
followers from the middle and lower ranks of society; to set up the 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 163 



A.C. 12-30.— St. John the Baptist. 



simplicity of childhood as the highest model for imitation; and, to con- 
sumate all his teaching, by dying the most ignominous death which he 
could suffer. 

724. Wh}) Was St, John the Baptist from his childhood 
in the desert --^"^ (Luke i. 80.) 

The reason why he secluded himself thus early has been 
believed to be, that he feared the cruelty of Herod. 

725. For though he was not under his jurisdiction, not being on 
the confines of Bethlehem, yet on account of the remarkable events that 
took place at his birth, by which he was declared the forerunner of the 
Messiah, he had reason to dread the cruelty of the jealous and suspicious 
king. It is said that when he was yet in his mother's arms St. John 
was conveyed into the desert, and there concealed in the caves and 
fissure^ of the rocks, where people usually concealed themselves on the 
approach of their enemies. His mother, St. Elizabeth, died very soon after 
this flight, and the infant Baptist was nursed by some member of Zach- 
arias' family. 

726. Wh]) Was John the Baptist reared as a Nazarite? 
Because that was the strictest order among the Jews, 

enabling the recipient of its obligations to live a more retired 
life, and one consequently less liable to distractions; and so 
was a means of preparing him as a minister destined to preach 
repentance to the Jews. 

727. The parents of the Baptist were not only of the priestly order, 
but righteous and devout. That Zacharias was fully aware of the high 
mission of his son is evident from the "divine song" to which he gives 
utterance, and in which occurs the phrase, *'And thou child shalt be 
called the prophet of the Highest; for thou shalt go before the face of 
the Lord to prepare his ways." As a consequence of the lofty influences 
under yhich he was nurtured, the child waxed strong in spirit, and "he 
was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel." (Luke i. 80.) 

728. Wh"^ is John the Baptist represented as eating 
**locusts and wild hone^'' ? 

In order to show that his ordinary manner of living was 
consistent with his appearance and attire — that he lived like 
the poorest of the people, the inhabitants of the deserts and 
the other less frequented parts of Judea. 

729. The inmates of some of the Oriental monasteries are siid to 
subsist upon locusts four months out of the year. In Bushire they are 
used by the lowest peasantry for food. The Arabs feed on them to this 

* "And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the 
deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel" — i. e., till he was thirty 
years of age. 



164 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 30. — The Baptist's first ministration. 



day, and prepare them for use in the following manner: — They grind 
them to flour in their hand-mills, or powder them in stone mortars. This 
flour they mix with water to the consistency of dough, and make thin 
cakes of it, which they bake like other bread on a heated gridle; and 
this serves instead of bread to support life, for want of something better. 
At other times they boil them in water, and afterwards stew them with 
butter, and make a sort oi fricassee, which has no bad taste. 

730. Why was John the Baptist dressed in a raiment of 
cameVs-hair, etc.? 

Because he had to exhibit in his person and manner the 
characteristics of the ancient Hebrew prophets, many of 
whom were thus arrayed. 

731. In the fifteenth year of the Emperor Tiberius, John made his 
public appearance. The word of prophecy had been still for centuries, 
but once more the echoes of Judea resounded with the "voice of one that 
cried in the wilderness." Besides his austere appearance, his manner of 
life was suggestive of his office; he ate only what the desert spontaneously 
afforded — locusts and wild honey from the rock. r 

732. Why did both our Lord and St. John (he Baptist 
defer the commencement of their public ministry till they Tvere 
thirty years of age? 

Because they thereby followed the regulation of the 
Jewish law. Although neither Christ nor his illustrious fore- 
runner were properly subject to that law, they upon all occa- 
sions scrupulously observed its precepts. 

733. Why was John the Baptist said to prepare the 
rvay of the Lord? 

Because his mission was to familiarize the minds of the 
Jewish people, by his preaching and practice, with those evan- 
gelical maxims which were fully developed by our Savior. 

734. Why did the Baptist speak of one '^mightier than 
himself coming after him, instead of plainly saying that his 
successor rvas the Messiah? 

The Jews were not prepared to receive his coming; he 
therefore wisely led them by degrees to the knowledge of 
what Divine Providence had designed them. 

735. He yet secretly assures them that he is not the Son of God. "I 
have baptized you with water, but he shall baptize you with the Holy 
Ghost" (Mark i. 8). 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



165 



A.C. 30. — Jesus at Nazareth. 



736. Wh^ did the Baptist declare that he Tvas not 
worthy to unloose the latchet of Christ's shoes? 

Because he thereby expressed, by a very forcible image, 
the infinitely superior dignity of our Savior. 

737. Annexed are some representations of the shoes worn at the time 
of our Lord. Shoes among the Hebrews, as well as the Greeks and 
Romans, commonly consisted of 
wooden or leathern soles, called 
in Greek and Latin sandals. 
They were bound to the sole of 
the foot by two ties, of which 
one went between the great and 
the next toe, and the other 
first round the heel, and then 
over the top of the foot, where 
it was united with the other 
"latchet." These sandals, used 
merely in walking, were put off 
on entering the tent or house, 
being left at the door or on the 
edge of the apartment. The un- 
binding of the ties and removal 
of the sandals was from old time 
the business of slaves. The 
newly-purchased slave, as a token 
of his condition, entered on his 
office by taking off his master's ROMAN foot-gear. 

shoes and bearing them for some space after him; in consequence, the 
office was held to be so low that a Rabbinical saying runs thus: "All that 
a slave does for his master is a scholar to do ♦for 
his teacher, save untying his sandals." 

737. Wh^ was John the Baptist de- 
clared to he less than the least in the king- 
dom of heaven? (Matt. xi. 1 1.) 

Because, as the last of the prophets, 
he was included in the Old Testament dis- 
pensation, which was immeasurably infe- 
rior to that of the New, signified by the 
kingdom of heaven. 

739. Why did our Lord, after the 
commencement of his ministry, reside so 
short a time at Nazareth? 
Because his countrymen were offended at his plain- 
speaking, as algo with the poverty of his origin. 





ROMAN BOOT. 



166 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 30. — The Temptation in the Desert. 



740. Accordingly, Jesus performed few miracles there, but resided 
during the latter years of his early life at Capernaum, a city which stood 
upon the shore of the sea of Galilee, in the borders of Zebulon and 
Naphtali. 

74 1 . Wh]^ T}?as the term Nazarene one of reproach -"^ 
Because, as is generally supposed, of the meanness of 

the town of Nazareth and the poverty of its inhabitants, 
who were, for the most part, persons in the lowest rank of 
life and followed the humblest callings. 

742. Calmet remarks that to say of a person he is a Nazarene was 
equivalent to saying, **He is vile, despicable, and low." 

743. Why Jvas our Savior tempted h}) the devil? 
Because he wished to give his followers and disciples an 

example how they should meet and resist temptation. 

744. Why, it may be asked, was Satan suffered thus to insult the 
Son of God? Wherefore did the Redeemer permit his retirement to 
be thus disturbed by the malicious suggestions of the fiend? The 
answers are: — 1. He gave an instance of his own condescension and 
humiliation. 2. He thereby proved his power over the tempter. 3. He 
set an example of firmness and virtue to his followers. And 4. He 
here affords consolation to his suffering people, by showing not only 
that He himself was tempted, but is able to succor those who are 
tempted. Some of the Fathers say, that Satan, with all his power, 
was ignorant of the real purpose and character of Jesus Christ; that 
this knowledge had been concealed from him by the Divine judgment; 
and that his assaults in the wilderness were made in order to find 
out this secret. Mr. Maundrell. in~^ his travels in the Holy Land, saw 
the place which was the scene of our Lord's temptation, and thus de- 
scribes it: — "From this place (the Fountains of the Apostles) you pro- 
ceed in an intricate way among hills and valleys interchangeably, and of a 
very barren aspect at present, but discovering signs of the labor of 
the husbandman in former times. After some hours' travel in this sort 
ol road, you arrive at the mountanious desert. ... A most miserable, 
dry, barren place it is, consisting of high rocky mountains, so torn and 
disordered, as if the earth had suffered some great convulsion, in which 
its very bowels had been turned outward." 

745. Wh}^ did Jesus fast fort]) days and forty nights --^ 
Because, as the Author and Introducer of the new law, 

he would correspond to the examples of Moses and Elijah, 
both of whom had acted in a similar manner on their en- 
trance upon their ministrations. 

746. The fast of Lent, formerly observed with great strictness by 
Christians, is derived from the forty days fast of our Savior in the desert.- 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 167 

A.C. 30.— The First Miracle. 

747. Wh}) did our Savior change water into wine at 
the marriage feast of Cana, in Galilee? 

Because, during the entertainment, the supply of wine 
failed; which being pe>-ceived by Mary and mentioned to 
Jesus, he worked the miracle recorded by the evangelists; 
and which is noticed by them as the first beginning of mira- 
cles performed by Jesus in confirmation of his mission. 

748. Wh}) was Jesus Christ called the Lamb of Cod? 
1 . Because a lamb was the symbol of 'meekness. 2. 

Because our Lord was, in his own person, the fulfilment of 
the symbolical paschal Lamb. 

749. With reference to the first, Isaiah had prophesied (liii. 7), "He 
was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he 
is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shear- 
ers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth." Upon the seond point the 
words of the Baptist, "Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the 
sins of the world," are explicit, and admit of no equivocation. Hence 
the "Agnus Dei's." or representations of the Lamb on the cross — the 
latter surmounted with a flag as a token of victory (page 122), are 
universally understood to symbolize the character and office of Jesus 
Christ. 

750. IVh^ did the Hol^ Chost descend upon our 
Savior in the form of a dove? 

Because the dove was among the Hebrews an emblem of 
purity, innocence, and gentleness. The form chosen here 
was intended to indicate the innocence, meeknss, and ten- 
derness of Jesus. 

751. The descent of the Holy Ghost in this manner, with the 
accompanying voice from heaven. "This is my beloved Son," were the 
signs of his Father's approbation, — and of his being set apart for the 
office of the Messiah. We are not to suppose that the gift of the Holy 
Ghost wrought any change in the recipient upon the present occasion, 
but only that this was an act of solemn separation for the work which 
was to be done by Jesus — an approval of his personal fitness. The dove 
had always been an object of honor in the Holy Land. It had been 
chosen for idolatrous worship by the Canaanitish people; but Moses, 
probably in order to teach these a lesson, had chosen the dove as an 
ofJering to Jehovah, and thus the idolaters saw the sacred bird con- 
tinually caught, killed, and eaten by the Hebrews. In the choice of the 
dove by Noah, when he wished to ascertain whether the waters of the 
flood had subsided, we see an evidence of the probable origin of that 
veneration. King David, in Psalm Iv. 6, makes some beautiful references 
to the dove; and the author of Solomon's Song continually uses the 
dove as a type of tenderness and affection. 



68 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



A.C. 30. — Baptism of Jesus Christ. 



752. Wh^ T})as St. John, the forerunner of Jesus, 
called the Baptist? 

Because he distinguished his ministry by exhorting all 
to be baptized. 

753. Baptism, as a rite, was well known to the Jew before the 
appearance of St. John. It was imposed upon proselytes from heathen- 
ism, upon their admission to the Jewish Church. 

754. Wh^ did our Savior, who could not have needed 
it, suffer himself to receive baptism from St, John? 

Because, intending to establish baptism as an institution 
of the new law, be chose to give in his cvn person, an 
example of obedience to it. 

755. Wh^ did the Baptist hesitate to administer the 
rite to Jesus? 

Because he knew of his Divine character, although h^ 
was ignorant of our Savior's motive in coming to him. 

756. The baptism of Jesus has usually been considered a striking 
manifestation of the doctrine of the Trinity, or the doctrine that there 
are Three Persons in the Divine nature. 1. There is the person of 
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, baptized in the Jordan, elsewhere declared 
to be equal with God (John x. 30). 2. The Holy Spirit descending 
in a bodily form upon our Savior. The Holy Spirit is also equal with 
the Father, or is also God (Acts v. 3, 4). 3. The Father addressing 
the Son, and declaring that he is well pleased with Him. It is impossible 
to explain this transaction consistently in any other way than by supposing 
that there are three equal persons in the Divine nature or essence, and 
that each of these sustains important parts in the work of redeeming 
man. — {Barnes, on Matthew iii.) 

757. Wh}) did Herod put St. John the Baptist to 
death? 

Because of a request of Herodias' daughter, which he 
had sworn to grant. 

758. Herodias was daughter of Aristobulus and Berenice, and grand- 
daughter of Herod (surnamed the Great). Her first husband was her 
uncle Philip, by whom she had Salome; but he falling into disgrace, and 
being obliged to live privately she left him and married his brother, 
Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, who offered her a palace and a 
crown. As St. John the Baptist censured this doubly incestuous marriage, 
Herod ordered him to be imprisoned. This punishment did not satisfy 
Herodias, who thirsted for his blood. Accordingly, she so arranged 
matters that, when the king was celebrating his birth-day with the 
principal persons of his court, the daughter of Herodias danced before 
them, and pleased him so well that he swore to give her whatever she 
would ask. In pursuance of the plot, she asked the head of the Baptist 
— to be served upon a platter. The king was troubled at this request, 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 169 

A.C. 30. — The Nazarenes oppose Jesus Christ. 



not from pity, but from superstition, supposing him to be some great 
magician, whose spells might injure him, but, on account of his oath, 
he sent and had the Baptist beheaded in prison, (a.c. 32.) 

759. Wh^ did the people of Nazareth, at the first 
preaching of Jesus, seek to destroy^ him by throwing him 
from the eminence upon which their city was built ^ 

Because, in expounding the law and the prophets in 
their synagogue, he displeased them by the application. 

760. The manner of the synagogue worship has been shown (par. 
430). It should be added here, in explanation of the circumstance related 
in Luke iv. 16, that the readers were sometimes called upon to perform 
their functions, and sometimes presented themselves voluntarily. The 
persons, also, who addressed the people were not rabbins expressly 
appointed for the purpose, but were either invited from those present, 
or offered themselves. 

Jesus, after his return from the desert, "came to Nazareth, where 
he had been brought up; and, as his custom was, he went into the 
synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And there was 
delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had 
opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 'The Spirit 
of the Lord is upon me, because he hath appointed me to preach the 
gospel to the poor: he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach 
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set 
at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the 
Lord.' " 

761. By what means did so remarkohle a passage 
occur in the reading of Jesus Christ on this occasion? 

By this: that although the book to be read was selected 
by the rulers of the synagogue, the choice of any portion of 
the book remained with the reader. Hence, obviously, these 
passages were selected which referred to our Lord's imme- 
diate purpose and mission. 

762. Why, when Jesus closed the book ^"^ S^'^^ it 
again to the minister. Were the eyes of all of them that were 
in the synagogue fastened upon him? 

Because, by an irrepressible impulse, the supernatural 
character of Jesus must have manifested itself in his words 
and manned. 

763. It is impossible to imagine anything more striking than the 
appearance which our Savior must have presented on this occasion. His 
beautiful and innocent face and form — the awful nature of the func- 
tions he had "from the beginning" been elected to perform, and now 
was upon the eve of performing — and the consciousness of which must 
have imprinted itself upon his features, blending dignity with pathos in 
his voice. Around him sit the degenerate representatives of his chosen 
people, who recognize indeed the Son of Joseph the carpenter, but fail 



I 70 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



A.C. 3L — The Woman of Samaria. 



to discover the traits of him, **the desired of nations." At first, the 
evangelist says, **they wondered at the gracious words which proceeded 
out of his mouth." But soon the feeling gives place to hatred, when Jesus 
proceeds to apply the sad predictions of the prophets to them in their 
rejection of the Messiah; their reprobation, and the ultimate call of the 
Gentiles. Nothing now will do but to thrust out of the city, and to 
drown in his own blood the voice of the unwelcome preacher. But 
Jesus, "passing through the midst of them" — that is, becoming miracu- 
lously invisible to them — "went his way" (Luke iv. 30). 

The mount of Precipitation, as it is now called, is about a mile 
and a half distant from Nazareth, according to Dr. Richardson, but 
two miles according to the observations made by Mr. Buckingham. The 
ancient town, in all probability, reached much further up the hill — 
perhaps a mile. "At this spot, on the right hand of the ravine, is shown," 
says Mr. Buckingham, "the rock to which the men of Nazareth are 
supposed to have conducted our Lord for the purpose of throwing him 
down. The rock is here perpendicular for about fifty feet, down which 
space it would be easy to hurl a person who should be unawares brought 
to the summit, and his perishing would be' a very certain consequence. 

"We went," says Hasselquist, "to see the hill from which the 
inhabitants of Nazareth were for throwing down Christ when he 
preached to them. This is a high, stony mountain, situated some gun- 
shots from Nazareth, consisting of the limestone common here, and fuW 
of fine plants. On the top, towards the south, is a steep rock, which 
is said to be the spot for which the hill is famous. It is terrible to 
behold, and lit for its purpose." 

764. Wh}) did our Savior hold his discourse rvith the 
n?oman of Samaria? 

Because to avoid the ferment which ensued upon the 
martyrdom of St. John the Baptist by Herod, he retired for 
a time out of the confines of Judea into GaHlee. In his way 
he passed through Samaria, near the town of Sychar.. 
Spent with heat and the fatigue of his journey, Jesus sat 
down by a well — known as Jacob's — thus encountering the 
Samaritan woman, and took that opportunity to introduce 
the gospel, through her means, to the people of the country. 

765. He was thirsty, though his thirst seems to have been more 
mysterious than natural, and he asked her to let him drink. The 
woman surprised to hear herself accosted by a Jew, remonstrates, and 
thus the beautiful homily is commenced which furnishes the subject 
of the fourth chapter of St. John's gospel. 

766. Wh}) did the Jews ''have no dealings with the 
Samaritans?' 

Because of an ancient hatred which existed between 
them, and which dated back as far as the rebuilding of the 
second temple under Zerubbabel. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 171 

A.C. 31-33. — Nicodemus. 



767. It was the refusal of the Jews to allow the Samaritans to 
assist them in this work that gave rise to, or at least greatly embittered, 
this hatred. From that moment a deep enmity burned between thvi 
two races. It was the same refusal probably, and acts of mutual wrong 
ensuing, that stimulated the Samaritans not only to hinder the rebuilding 
of the temple and city, but to set up a temple of their own at mount 
Gerizim. Shechem, at its foot, became the metropolis of the Sama- 
ritans, and afforded a refuge to discontented or lawless Jews. Josephus 
accuses the Samaritans of professing themselves Jews, and descended 
from Joseph, when this might tend to their advantage; and of disclaim- 
ing all kindred and connection with them, when this would better serve 
their turn. Broils frequently occurred, and at length the temple on 
mount Gerizim was destroyed by John Hyrcanus, about 129 B.C., after 
having stood 200 /ears. Under the Roman pro-consul, Coponius. a 
Samaritan, in revenge for the ill done at Gerizim, entered Jerusalem 
secretly, and polluted the whole temple by scattering in it human bones. 
The same "Samaritan" now became a bye-word and a reproach with the 
Jews, and all intercourse with that people was avoided. Hence, for 
a term of the bitterest reproach, they called Jesus "a Samaritan;" and 
hence our Lord himself, when he sent out the seventy disciples, forbade 
them at first to go to the cities of the Samaritans, lest their reception 
of the gospel should be a stumbling-block in the way of the Jews. 

768. Wh\) did Nicodemus come to Jesus b\) night? 

Because, being a distinguished member of the San- 
hedrim, he did not wish to compromise himself with that 
body by coming openly to speak with Jesus, of whose 
person and office he was nevertheless anxious to learn some- 
thing. 

769. The discourse of our Lord to Nicodemus had a great effect 
upon his mind, although he does not appear to have been emboldened 
to profess his sentiments openly. Upon a subsequent occasion, at one 
of the sittings of the venerable body to which he belonged, he had the 
courage to protest against the bloody sentence which condemned him to 
the cross; and, after the crucifixion, he assisted Joseph of Arimathea 
in rendering the last honors to the body of his crucified Redeemer. 

770. Wh}) is our Savior represented as seated rvhen 
delivering his sermon on the mount? 

Because sitting was the proper posture of masters and 
teachers. 

771. The form in which the master and his disciples sat is thus 
described by Maimonides : — "The master sits at the head, or in the 
chief place, and the disciples before him in a circuit like a crown; so 
that all see the master and hear his words. The master may not sit 
upon a seat, and the scholars upon the ground; but either all upon the 
earth or upon seats. Indeed, from the beginning or formerly, the master 
used to sit and the disciples to stand; but before the destruction of the 
second temple, all used to teach their disciples sitting. 

772. What rvas the nature of the place called the 
Receipt of Customs, at ivhich St. Mattherv rvas seated rvhen 
called fcp our Lord^ 



1 72 KNOWLEDGE OI^ THE BIBLE. 

A.C: 31-33.— Precepts of the New Xaw. 

The publicans had houses or booths built for them at the 
foot of bridges, at the mouth of rivers, and by the sea-shore, 
where they took toll of passengers that went to and fro. 
Hence we read of the tickets or seals of the publicans, 
which, when a man had paid toll on one side of the river, 
were given him by the publican to show to him that sat on 
the other side, that it might appear he had paid. On these 
were written two great letters, larger than those in common 
use. 

773. Wh^ did our Savior forbid the practice of 
sTvearing **fcj; the head,'' etc. 

Because the ready recourse to oaths as a test of truth or 
a motive to integrity, argues a very low standard of morality. 
The gospel was to establish sincerity of purpose and a sense 
of justice, which should result from rectitude of heart and 
conscience. 

774. It was a very common practice among the Orientals to swear 
by the head or the life of the king. Joseph, following the fashion of 
Egypt, swore by the life of Pharaoh, and the oath is still used in various 
region^s of the East. The most sacred oath among the Persians is *'by 
the head of the king." In the time of our Lord it was a common 
practice among the Jews to swear by this form, and in all the various ways 
denounced by him. 

A more serious fault which clung to the teaching of the Pharisees, 
and which was denounced in most severe terms by our Lord at a 
later period (Matt, xxiii. 16), was their equivocations in the matter of 
oaths. "Woe unto you, blind guides! which say, whosoever shall swear 
by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of 
the temple, he is a debtor." 

'*This was a very paradoxical distinction, and no one who heard 
their oaths could possibly divine it unless he happened to be initiated 
into the whole villany of the business. One would naturally entertain 
the very same idea concerning it which Christ expresses in his refuta- 
tion of it, viz., that "the temple which consecrates the gold is of greater 
account, and belongs more immediately to God than the gold." But the 
foundation of the refined distinction made by the Pharisees was, that the 
gold was sanctified, but not the materials of the edifice. Again the 
Pharisees said, "If a man swear by the altar, it is no oath; but if he 
swear by the offering that is upon the altar, he is bound;" because, 
forsooth, the offering was consecrated, but the stones of the altar notliing 
more than common stones. But to this doctrine Jesus Christ, with equal 
reason, makes the following objection, that "the altar which sanctif-es 
the offering is greater than the offering;" and he founds it on this 
unanswerable argument — "If I appear to swear, and use the language oi 
an oath, my words, though, perhaps, olherwice equivocal, must be under- 
stood in the sense which they generally have in oaths. Thus, if I 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 1 73 

A.C. 31-33. — The Money-changers expelled. 



merely mention heaven, that word may have various meanings; it may 
mean heaven in the physical sense of the term — the blue atmosphere, or 
that unknown matter sometimes called 'ether;' but neither of these is 
God. When, however, I swear by heaven, every one understands me as 
regarding heaven in its relation towards God as his dwoliing-place or as 
his throne, and thinks that I forbear pronouncing the name of God 
merely from reverential awe, and that in naming the throne of God I 
include the idea of him who sitteth upon it; so that I have really 
sworn by God. ... A most rational exposition, without which we 
can never in any compact be sure of understanding our neighbors words, 
not even though he name the name of God in his oath, and swear 
without any mental reservation whatsoever, for the syllables, perhaps, 
might still be susceptible of another signification." (Michaelis.) 

775. Wh"^ does our Savior promise a reward to the 
bestorver of a cup of cold ivater, given to a disciple in his 
name ? 

Because by that figure he intended to convey the regard 
he had for all acts of charity performed with a proper 
motive and for the honor of God. 

776. The offering of a cup of cold water is In the East an act of 
great value and significance. In India at* the present day the Hindoos 
go sometimes a great way to fetch water, and then boil it, that it may 
not be hurtful to travelers who are hot. After this they stand from 
morning to night in some great road, where there is neither well nor 
rivulet, and offer it in honor of their gods, to be drunk by the pas- 
sengers. Such necessary works of charity in these hot countries seem 
to have been practised by the more pious and humane Jews; and our 
Lord assures them that if they do this in his name they shall not lose 
their reward. 

777. Wh}) Vere the moneys-changers expelled by our 
Lord from the temple? (Matt. xxi. 12.) 

Because they were usurers, and in their eagerness for 
gain had presumed to set up their tables within the wall§ of 
the temple. That their practices were corrupt is shown by 
the denunciation of our Savior, who said, **My house is a 
house of pra}ser, but ye have made it a den of thieves,'' 

778. Persons coming annually to Jerusalem to worship would fre- 
quently deposit money with them, to be returned to the owners upon their 
j,afe return home; thus avoiding the risk of robbery by the way. Others 
visiting Jerusalem exchanged foreign coins for those current in the city, 
in order to pay the half-shekel tribute (Exod. xxx. 3), allowing the 
money-dealers a percentage for the accommodation. The temple being 
the center and cause of all this traffic, the money-changers, at first content 
to set up their booths in its neighborhood, by degrees established them- 
selves within the building itself. It was the tables of these traffickers 



74 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



A.C. 31-33.— The Pool of Bethesda.— Parables. 



which were overturned by our Lord, upon the only occasion when we 
perceive anything like severity in his manner. 

779. Who Tvere the sellers of doves mentioned in the 
same passage? 

They were persons who suppHed the worshipers at the 
temple with doves for offerings — **^the burnt-offering and the 
sin-offering" — prescribed by the Mosaical law. (Lev. v. 
7, xii. 6.) 

780. **These persons should have obtained the doves at a more 
suitable time and place. In many instances, probably in most, this 
was done; but there was, as there will always be, a number of slack 
worshipers, who put off till the last moment the most necessary duties, 
like those foolish virgins mentioned in another gospel, who failed to 
provide themselves with oil for their lamps, trusting to the chapter of 
accidents or the benevolence of their friends for the necessary supply." 
(Stackhouse.) 

78 K What Tvas the pool of Bethesda? 

It is thought to have been a bath, from the fact that the 
blind, the maimed, and the withered were gathered around 
it; and from its having five porticoes, erected, no doubt, 
for the reception of the sick and infirm. 

782. The name Bethesda, which is Greek, signifying a house of 
mercy, was probably applied to it on account of the many cures effected 
therein. It was situated on the northern side of the wall which sur- 
rounded the temple mount at Jerusalem. The waters do not appear to 
have had any medicinal efficacy apart from the simple one resulting from 
the use of ordinary water; hence the cures are declared to have been 
effected miraculously. At certain times an angel descended and "troubled 
the water," and the person who descended first after this operation upon 
the water was healed of whatever infirmity he might labor under. 

783. Wh^ did our Savior so frequently speak in 
parables ? 

Because it was conformable to the customs of the East 
to do so, and was a very popular mode of conveying truths 
with the Jews. 

784. Herein was also another fulfillment of prophecy. David, in 
Psalm Ixxviii. 2, had said, speaking in the person of Jesus Christ, "i 
will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old." 
Parables or fables are found in the literature of all nations, and it is 
certain that the parables of our Savior have created a deeper and more 
lasting impression upon the great mass of mankind than any other part 
of the New Testament, with the exception of one or two passages. The 
good Samaritan, The Prodigal Son, the Ten Virgins, and Lazarus and 
Dives are known and appreciated throughout the whole Christian world. 
**The wisdom of our Lord, therefore, is manifest in adopting this mode 
of instruction. If a degree of obscurity attaches to it, even this is not 
without its uses; it is just that kind of difficulty which is demanded by 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



75 



A.C. 31-33. — Oriental Customs. 



human nature for its trial, exercise, and improvement. It serves to 
discover who love the truth and who are indifferent to it; who are 
willing to search for it as for hidden treasure and who are not. 
It is admirably adapted, also, to excite attention, to stimulate curiosity, 
to exercise the judgment, and, through the medium of the imagination, 
to lodge truth permanently in the heart." (Watson.) 

785. Why Jvas nexp wine not to be put into old bottles 
Matt. ix. 17)? 

Because the Eastern bottle, called turunthe, is made of 
the raw hide of an animal; consequently, 
when any fermenting liquor is put into it, 
the skin, being comparatively green, dis- 
tends itself to the swelling of the liquor; 
but should the bottle have been previously 
stretched by the same process, then it 
would burst if put to a second trial, be- 
cause it cannot yield to the new pressure 
of fermentation. 

786. Wh}) did the minstrels and peo- 
ple *'make a noise'* in the ruler's home at 
the death of his daughter? 

Because such was the universal prac- 
tice in the East upon all occasions of 
mourning, persons being set apart espe- 
cially for such purposes, and following the 
art of mourning as a profession. 

787. In Egypt the lower class call in women 
who play on the tabor, and whose business it is, u*cxcdki un-TTi v 
like the hired mourners m other countries, to sing 

elegiac airs to the sound of that instrument, which they accompany 
with the most frightful distortions of their limbs. These women attend 
the corpse to the grave, intermixed with the female relatives and friends 
of the deceased, who commonly have their hair in the utmost disorder, 
their heads covered with dust, their faces daubed with indigo or at least 
rubbed with mud, and howling like maniacs. Such were the minstrels 
and people whom our Lord found in the house of the ruler. The noise 
and tumult of such retained mourners and the other attendants appear 
to have began immediately after the person expired. "The moment," 
says Cardin, "Any one returns from a long journey or dies, his family 
burst into cries that may be heard twenty doors off; and this is 
renewed at different times, and continues many days, according to the 
vigor of the passions. Especially are these cries long and frightful in 
the case of death, for the mourning is right down despair, and an image 
of hell." 




1 76 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 31-33.— Nature of the Angels. 

788. What Tvas the nature of that mustard-tree al- 
luded to h^ our Lord, which was said to be ''the greatest 
among herbs?'' (Matt, xiii 31 ). 

The character and size of the scriptural mustard-tree 
will be understood by the annexed extract: — 

789. The parable of the mustard-tree was delivered in a public 
assembly, every individual of which was well acquainted with it. Many 
of them were the avowed enemies of our Lord, and would have gladly 
seized the opportunity of exposing him to the scorn of the multitude if 
he had committed any mistake. The silent acquiescence of the scribes 
and Pharisees affords an irrefragable proof that his description is 
perfectly correct. They knew that the same account of the plant more 
than once occurs in the writings of their fathers. In the Babylonish 
Talmud, a Jewish rabbi writes that a certain man of Sichem had be- 
queathed to him by his father three boughs of mustard; one of which, 
broken off from the rest, yielded nine kabs of seed, and the wood of it 
was sufficient to cover the potter's house. Another rabbi in the Jeru- 
salem Talmud says he had a stem of mustard in his garden, into which 
he could climb as into a fig-tree. After making every allowance for 
the hyperbolical style in which these talmudical writers indulged, theV 
certainly referred to real appearances in nature; and no man will pretend 
that it was any part of their design to justify our Savior's description. 
But the "birds of the air (verse 32) might certainly lodge with ease 
among the branches of a tree that was sufficiently strong to sustaia 
the weight of a man. The fact asserted by our Lord is stated in the 
clearest terms by a Spanish historian who says that in the province of 
Chili, in South America, the mustard grows to the size of a tree, and 
the birds lodge under its shade, and build their nests in its branches."' 
— Paxton, Illustrations of the Holy Scriptures. 

790. Wh^ are angels — referred to in Matt, xviii. I 
— described as alway^s beholding the face of Cod in 
heaven ? 

Because such a posture is indicative at once of an anx- 
ious wish to know, and a cordial readiness to execute, the 
will of a Lord or ruler. 

791. This is illustrated by some other passages of Scripture thus: 
— 1 Kings i. 20, "And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are 
upon thee that thou shouldst tell them who shall sit on the throne of 
my lord the king after^ him." In Psa. cxxiii. 2, "Behold, as the eyes 
of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a 
maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes wait upon the Lord 
our God." Our Savior would, accordingly, intimate that such was the 
attitude of the angels in heaven, who are ministering spirits to the heirs 
of salvation. 

792. Why was our Savior called the ''Son of Man' ? 

1 . Because he is so called in the prophecy of Daniel vii. 

13, 14, *'I saw in the night visions, and behold one like the 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 1 77 



A.C. 33. — The Seventy Disciples. 



Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven; and there 
was given to him dominion and glory," etc. 2. Because 
he had a design to establish his human nature against those 
who might be disposed to regard him as a mere spirit or 
angel. 

793. It is to be remarked that our Savior himself uses the words 
of Daniel, above quoted, in Matt. xxvi. 31, "When the Son of Man shall 
come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him." 

794. Wh^ rvere seventy disciples chosen b}) our 
Savior ? 

In the number, as in that of the twelve apostles (in re- 
ference to the number of the tribes), he may have had 
regard to the historical associations of the Hebrews, for we 
find that when Jacob went into Egypt the souls of his 
family were seventy. 

795. The same was the number of the elders appointed by Moses. 
Seventy persons composed the Sanhedrim, or great national council of 
the Jews; and, according to the notions of the Hebrews of that day, the 
earth itself was made up of seventy nations. The mission of the seventy 
elders was of a preparatory nature, and what is said about it in the 
gospel occupies but a few lines. 

796. What n>as the Council of the Sanhedrim ? 

It was the highest national tribunal or parliament held 
in Jerusalem at the time of our Lord. 

797. The Sandhedrim was modelled upon the council of serenty 
elders appointed by Moses (Numb. xi. 16), came into existence after 
the return from Babylon, and is first mentioned by Josephus in the reign 
of Herod. According to the Mishnah, this court was composed of seventy 
members besides the president; these were high priests, elders, and 
lawyers, comprising Pharisees and Sadducees. In addition were two secre- 
taries. Learning was the sole qualification for admission. The Sanhedrim, 
in urgent cases, assembled in the house of the high priest, but ordinarily 
sat in a separate chamber on the south side of the temple. The members 
sat in a semi-circle, with the president in the middle. This tribunal 
had been deprived ol the power of life and death by the Romans. 

798. Wh"^ were the Pharisees called ''whited sepul- 
chers* ? 

Because they concealed under a cloak of sanctity the 
real abominations of their hearts; professing a strict regard 
to the letter of the law while they were filled with malice, 
covetousness, and vain glory. 



1 78 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Scribes. Saducees. 



799. It was the custom with the Jews to garnish the outsides of the 
tombs of their relations and friends, although those who touched the 
dead were considered as polluted. In Acts xxiii. 3, St. Paul calls 
Ananias a whited wall, and threatens him with a violent death, an 
expression that proved prophetical, for Ananias, after having contributed 
to the ruin of his country by a powerful faction which he had raised, 
and - which produced various calamities, was slain after the revolt of 
the Jews (a.d. 66), with his brother, and fell not by the arms of the 
Romans, but by another faction of the Jews, which was headed by his 
own son. 

800. Who Tvere the Scribes? 

They were (1) writers, (2) lawyers, and (3) teach- 
ers of the law. 

801. The names by which in the Greek this class is designated indi- 
cate a learned class which may have exercised functions more or less 
varying from each other; those variations, if they existed, can scarcely 
now be discovered, and in general the words indicate the same high 
officer whose business lay in the guardianship and exposition of the law 
of Moses, considered as the source of religious as well as civil rights 
and obligations. 

802. Why Were Scribes in general rebuked by our 
Lord? 

Because, by their sophistries, they had neutralized most 
of the beneficial provisions of the Mosaical code. 

803. This code had received great additions from purely human 
sources. Its literal observance was strictly required. But an allegorical 
method of exposition had gained prevalence: hence the charge of our 
Lord, **Ye have made the law of God void by your traditions." 

804. Why Tpere the Sadducees generally opposed to the 
preaching of the gospel? 

Because, as semi-infidels, they had a greater repugnance 
to its precepts than even the Pharisees and the rest of the 
Jews, who still retained the spirit of the Mosaical laws. 

805. The Sadducees were a sect which had its rise (b.c. 250) from 
Sadoc, a follower of Antigonus Sochoeus, president of the Sanhedrim. 
The latter had taught, in opposition to the Scribes, that man ought to 
serve God out of pure love, and not from hope of reward or fear of 
punishment. But Sadoc improving upon this (in his estimation), main- 
tained that there was no future state at all, either of reward or punish- 
ment. Whatever foundation there may be for this account of the origin 
of the sect, it is certain that in the time of our Savior the Sadducees 
denied the resurrection of the dead (Acts xxiii. 8), and the existence 
of angels and spirits, or souls of departed men. They carried their ideas 
of human freedom so far as to assert that men were absolutely masters 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 1 79 

Pharisees. Meaning of Rabbi. 



of their own actions, and at full liberty to do either good or evil. 
Josephus even says that they denied the essential difference between 
good and evil; and though they believed that God created and preserved 
the world, they seem to have denied his particular providence. These 
tenets, which resemble the Epicurean philosophy, led, as might be ex- 
pected, to great profligacy of life; and we find the licentious wickedness 
of the Sadducees frequently condemned in the New Testament; yet they 
professed themselves obliged to observe the Mosiac law, because of the 
temporal rewards and punishments annexed to such observance; and 
hence they were always severe in their punishment of any crimes which 
tended to disturb the public tranquility. Josephus says that the Sadducees 
were able to draw over to their party the rich only, the people not 
following them; and he elsewhere mentions that the sect spread chiefly 
among the young. The Sadducees were far less numerous than the 
Pharisees, but their greater opulence and dignity gave an equivalent weight 
to their party. The council before which our Savior and St. Paul were 
carried consisted partly of Pharisees and partly of Sadducees. 

806. Who Were the Pharisees? 

They were a powerful sect among the Jews, whose pro- 
minent characteristic was a strict Hteral observance of the 
Mosaical law, joined with the vast number of additions, 
which in the process of ages had become tacked on to it. 

807. The sect appears to have had its rise during the Babylonish 
captivity. The silence of the prophets at that period, and the conse- 
quent absence of all positive authority in matters of the law, would 
naturally lead to the establishment of a school of interpreters, which, 
as being merely human, and basing all their philosophy upon reason, 
would produce results as various as the manifestations of the human mind 
are various. Hence the two chief sects of Pharisees and Sadducees. 
The former were the religious conservatives, the latter the progressists, 
or rational reformers. The Pharisees would have every jot and tittle of 
the law observed. But not only this: they had a tendency to collect 
traditions, which rapidly accumulating, in time became more bullcy and 
stringent than the original law of Moses. And in the end we find 
our Savior rebuking the sect by saying, "Woe unto you, ' Pharisees and" 
Scribes, who make the law of none effect by your traditions." Their 
observances were, however, mere outward ones — of all sincere or heart 
worship they were totally devoid: they washed the outside of the cup 
or platter, but suffered the inside to be foul and filthy. 

808. What is the meaning of the word ''Rahhi' ? 

It signifies **the great," and was used as a complimen- 
tary expression when addressing a superior. 

809. It was used to signify "doctor," "teacher," and very plentifully 
applied when a speaker had any purpose to gain. In its general sense its 
equivalent is to be found in the Italian "eccelienza." The teachers and 
professors of the law were distinguished by the title of Rabbi, both by 
the people and by their own disciples. Our Lord was so addressed by 



180 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

Publicans or Tax-Collectors. 

his disciples, as well as by the people. Rabboni, the superlative of 
Rabbi, was the title of highest honor applied by the Jews to the teachers 
of the law. In its application to Christ (John xx. 16) it signified *'Lord." 

810. Wh^ Were the Publicans such objects of dislike 
to the Jeivs? 

1 . Because, as tax-gatherers engaged in collecting the 
tribute imposed by their Roman conquerors, they were 
naturally so. 2. Because the Publicans themselves were 
generally dishonest and even rapacious characters. 



811. There were two kinds of publicans (publicani). The first were 
persons of rank or wealth, who farmed the taxes from the chief authority 
at Rome, frequently being Roman knights or patricians; those, however, 
with whom the Jews most frequently came in contact were the portitores, 
or sub-collectors. This second class did not confine itself to collecting 
the regularly imposed taxes, but used such means as were within their 
reach to grind the faces of the people. Oppression and cruelty were 
commonly the result. The collection of taxes, in general an unplcasnpt 
ofhce, becomes hateful and repulsive when tribute is levied for a foreign 
power. The odium is augmented if native hands are the collectors, and if the 
foreign yoke is galling. Hence in Judea none but persons of the lowest 
order would engage in the work, and hence those whom it occupied were 
hated and despised by the people; and that the more the nearer the days of 
the Messiah were thought to approach. The common tax-gatherers there- 
fore, were accounted as apostates and renegades engaged in aiding the 
heathen to oppress and pillage God's chosen people. Thus is explained 
the amazement excited when Jesus was seen eating not only with pagans, 
but even with publicans. 

812. Wh"^ Were the Jews particularly) offended b^ the 
words of our Savior (John ii. 19), ^'Destroy this temple^ 
and in three da'^s I will raise it up again ^ ^ 

Because they were sensitively alive to any disrespect — 
real or imaginary — uttered in reference to the temple at 
Jerusalem, to which, in their usual materialism, they under- 
stood our Lord to refer. 



813. Of the high veneration of the Jews for this building many 
authors relate instances. Their reverence for it was such that rather than 
witness its defilement they would cheerfully submit to death. Josephus 
gives proof of this in his history of the wars of the Jews. Concluding 
that Jesus meant an insult to the sacred edifice his words instantly 
descended into their hearts, and kept rankling there for years, until 
upon our Lord's trial this declaration — joined with others — which it was 
impossible for them even to forget or forgive, was alleged against him 
as an act of the most atrocious guilt and impiety. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 181 

Jewish Proselytes. 

814. Wh]) did our Lord say, ''It is easier for a camel 
to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to 
enter into the k'mgdom of Cod'*? (Matt. xix. 24.) 

Because he wished to express by an image, which was 
very famiHar to the Jews, a case of extreme difficulty, if 
not of impossibiUty. 



815. To pass a camel through a needle's eye was a proverbial ex- 
pression among the nations of high antiquity, denoting a difficulty which 
neither the art nor the power of man can surmount. Our Lord, to make 
his discourse plain, condescended to the very language of the people. 



816. Why were the Jews rebuked by our Savior for 
their zeal in making proselytes ? (Matt, xxiii, 1 5.) 

Because they were actuated by improper motives, as 
appears by the context, where a common result of their zeal 
is said to have been that the proselyte became two-fold more 
the child of hell than themselves. 



817. The desire of making proselytes is one of the commonest 
instincts of humanity. What is rebuked here is the want of a good 
intention; the endeavor to change a man's faith or opinion not for his 
benefit or for the glory of God, but in order to flatter one's own choice 
of a party or following. The misdirected zeal of the Hebrews for 
proselytizing excited the notice and ridicule of the heathen Romans. 
Horace (among others) in his ''Satires" (i. 4, 143), says, "Like Jews 
we will compel thee to come over to our sect." 



818. Why did our Savior blame them for building 
the tombs of the prophets? (Matt, xxiii. 29.) 

This is not blamed as if it were in itself an evil to build 
or adorn the sepulchers of the prophets; but the hypocrisy 
of the Pharisees is here taxed, who, whilst they pretended 
to honour the memory of the prophets, were persecuting to 
death the Lord of the prophets. 



819. As indeed they had done by the prophets beforehand, scarcely 
one of whom had escaped a violent death at their hands. "Which of the 
prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them 
which showed before of the coming of the Just One." (Acts vii. 52.) 



182 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

Jewish Errors Refuted. 

820. Wh^ Jvere the Pharisees said to devour rvidorvs 
houses? 

They endeavored to persuade the widows of the poor 
to make vows or offerings for the temple, by which they 
themselves become rich. 

82 1 . Wh^ did the disciples of Christ ask him, with 
reference to the man horn blind, ''Master, did this man 
sin or his parents, that he rvas horn blind'' ? 

Because before the coming of Christ and the promulga- 
tion of his new and merciful dispensation every misfortune 
was regarded as a proof, more or less, of the anger of God 
towards the afflicted person, and not, as was taught by 
Christ and his apostles, a means which a Christian might 
improve to his eternal benefit. 

822. The voluntary sufferings of Christ and the canonization of 
affliction and martyfdom by his example, and that of nearly all his imme- 
diate followers, changed this mode of thinking most completely. But 
they who now asked the questions were speaking according to the received 
ideas of their day, into which the Oriental heresy of the Metempsychosis, 
or the doctrine of the transmigration of souls, had infused an element. 
The people of Judea, and indeed of the whole Eastern world at that time, 
very commonly attributed — as they do to this day — their misfortunes to 
the transgressions of a former state of existence. "I remember," says 
Callaway, "being struck with the seriousness of a cripple, who attributed 
his lame condition to the unknown fault of a former life. His conjecture 
was that he had broken the leg of a fowl — which might have formed the 
outer casement of some ancestor, who should at least have been sacred 
from any injury on his part." Offerings are still made among the Hindoos, 
with a view to an honorable or happy birth at the next transmigration. 

823. Why did Jesus Christ command the blind men 
whom he had miraculousl}) restored to sight to tell no man 
of the circumstance? (Matt. ix. 30.) 

Because, although he knew that they would fail to ob- 
serve his injunction, he wished to give to all m.en an exam- 
ple of humility. We are admonished not only to keep silent 
ourselves upon whatever is to our own praise but to 
endeavor to hinder others from pubHshing it. 

824. Wh}) did our Savior, in sending his apostles to 
preach ''to all nations,'* give them miraculous powers? 
(Matt. X. 1.) 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 183 

Warnings against False Teachers. 

Because the generality of men would never have given 
credit to their preaching, unlearned and illiterate as most of 
them were, had they not been able to work miracles in 
proof of the doctrines preached. 

825. "It was necessary that the greatness of their works should con- 
firm the greatness of their promises." (St. Jerome.) 

826. Wh^ did our Savior defend his disciples from 
those who complairied of them that they did not fast like 
the disciples of the Baptist? (Matt. ix. 14, 15.) 

Christ, by the similitude of the cloth and bottles (**No 
man putteth new wine into old bottles," etc.), justified the 
manner of life which he taught his disciples as at first best 
adapted to their faith. Had he in the beginning required 
them to practice any rigorous observances, they might have 
been discouraged and have left him. He, accordingly, 
takes occasion to say that the joy of being in the presence of 
**the bridegroom" would not admit of any austerity; but 
the time for fasting would come when he should be taken 
away from them. 

827. The bottles referred to were made of skin, or were leather 
bottles in which wine used to be carried and kept. (Par. 785.) 

828. Why did our Savior rvarn his disciples against 
false teachers who should come to them in his nami? 

Because he foresaw that hosts of pretenders to sanctity 
and true teaching would arise immediately after his death, 
and consequent upon the great success that would accom- 
pany the preaching of the gospel. 

829. In less than two centuries after our Lord's death many false Christs 
actually appeared, each of whom pretended to be the one that was "to 
come," the desired of nations. One of these false Messiahs was a Jew. 
named Barchochebas. He appeared about the year a.d. 130, during the 
reign of the Emperor Adrian. The Jews, up to that time, had remained 
sunk, more or less, in a hopeless apathy. But now they seemed to have 
thrown it oflf and made an attempt towards the recovery of their city. 
Adrian was well informed of these thoughts, and appointed builders to 
reconstruct the walls of Jerusalem, intending to make it a fortress or 
citadel, by means of which he could suppress any attempt at a revolu- 



84 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



The Apostles Instructed. 



lution on the part of the Jews. The works had made some progress when 
the Jews, unable any longer to endure the idea that their holy city should 
be occupied by foreigners, broke out into rebellion. They were led by the 
above-mentioned Barchochebas, under whom, at first, they obtained some 
partial successes; but he was crushed by the Roman power, and a war 
scarcely inferior in horror to that under Vespasian and Titus was, like 
it, brought to a close by the capture of Jerusalem, of which the Jews had 
obtained possession. 

830. Wh]) did our Savior bid his apostles Tvhen they 
were persecuted in one city to flee into another? (Matt. 
X. 23.) 

Because he would have them avoid strife and unseemly 
contentions with those who were unwiUing to Hsten to their 
doctrines. 

83L That this was his meaning the best proof may be found in the fact 
that he himself frequently set them the example of flight. He rendered 
himself invisible when the Nazarenes would have thrown him from the 
hill. He fled from the temple and hid himself from the Sanhedrim. In 
the early ages of the Church there were found some who deemed this 
counsel unworthy of a Christian. Tertullian held it as unlawful to fly 
from persecution. But the best proof that he was wrong is, that Tertullian 
himself fell away from the truth and relapsed into Montanism. 

832. Why TDere the apostles to set forth Tvithout two 

coats, without shoes, and without a staff? (Matt. x. 10.) 

That they might present the appearance of poverty and 

a complete disseverance from the world and its advantages. 

833. Sandals were permitted, and 
the ordinary staff used even by 
beggars to assist the body in walking, 
but not such a staff as was then 
used as a weapon of defense. The 
shoes then worn, as distinguished 
from sandals, were costly, and often 
very elegant in their fo-m and ma- 
terial. They were, however, confined 
ROMAN BOOT. to effeminate persons and to women. 

834. What is meant by the ''gates of helW which 
should not prevail against the Church? (Matt. xvi. 18.) 

Gates are a common symbol in the Scriptures Tor 
power, government, security. To say, then, that the gates 
of hell should not prevail against the Church was, in other 
words, to say **it shall never die, it shall never be extinct.'* 

835. All the errors, controversies, superstitions — all the persecutions, 
edicts, tortures with which the Church has been visited, have not proved 




KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 185 



The Paralvtic Pardoned. 



her mortal, and never shall. (Calmet.) "The keys of the kingdom of 
heaven" delivered to the Apostle Peter had a meaning, which is explained 
by the following passages: — 1. As exercising authority — "I will lay the 
key of the house of David upon his shoulder" (Isa. xxii. 22). 2. As 
having power to interpret the Divine oracles — "Ye have taken away the 
key of knowledge" (Luke xi. 52). Explaining the Scriptures is called 
opening them — "While He talked with us by the way and opened to us 
the Scriptures" Luke xxiv. 32). It is said that authority to explain the 
law and the prophets was given among the Jews by the delivery of a key; 
and of one Rabbi Samuel we read, that after his death they put his key 
and his tablets into his coffin, because he did not deserve to have a son to 
whom he might leave the insignia of his office. If the Jews really had 
such a custom in our Savior's time, they would readily understand the 
significance of the delivery of the keys to St. Peter. 

836. Wh^ did our Savior, ajitr the deliver-^ of his 
charge to Peter, sa}) to the apostles that the^ should tell no 
man that he ivas the Christ? 

1 . To avoid the envy of the scribes, and not to appear 
to raise his own glory. 2. He wished the people to be 
induced to own him for their Messiah, not from the testi- 
mony of his retainers, but from his miracles and doctrines. 
3, Because, as his time was not yet come, the apostles were 
not yet fit to deliver, nor the people to receive, this grand 
tenet. 

837. Wh]) did our Savior pronounce a pardon of the 
sins of the paralytic Tvhom he had healed, seeing that the 
sicl^ man did not as^ him to do so? (Matt. ix. 2.) 

Because he wished to declare the cause of the disease, 
and to remove it before he removed the disease itself. 

838. "The sick man begs for corporal health," says Jansen, "but 
Christ first restores to him the health of his soul; for two reasons: first, 
that he might insinuate to the beholders that the principal intent of his 
coming into the world was to cure the evils of the soul, and let them 
know that the spiritual cure ought most to be desired and petitioned for." 
A second reason why Christ forgave the sick man his sins was, that he 
might take occasion, from the murmurs of the Pharisees, to speak more 
plainly of his power and divinity, which he proved, not only by restoring 
the man instantaneously to health, but by another miracle, equally great 
and conclusive, which consisted in seeing the thoughts they had never 
expressed; for the evangelist observes that they murmured in their hearts. 

839. Wh"^ was the paralytic, after being cured b^ our 
Savior commanded **to take up his bed and walk'' ? (Matt, 
ix. 6.) 



186 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

False Miracles and Prophecies. 

Because by that act he would demonstrate the reality 
of his cure, and that it was no phantom, but a real patient, 
who had been the object of the compassion of Jesus Christ. 

840. Wh}) does St. Matthen^ speak of himself in his 
gospel as ''MattheT}>,'' and designate his previous occu- 
pation of a publican^ while the other evangelists call him 
Levi ? 

St. Matthew, according to St. Jerome, did this from a 
motive of humility. His co-apostles, out of respect to him, 
preferred to omit any allusion to his former position, as one 
that was held in great detestation among the Jews. 

84 1 . Wh^ is the possession of the gifts of prophecy 
and the pon^r of rvorking miracles no proof of the sanctity 
of the possessors? (Matt. vii. 22, 23.) 

Because these gifts have been enjoyed by bad men and 
unbelievers, as, for instance, Balaam, Caiaphas, the dis- 
obedient prophet, and others. 

842. The text says, verce 22, "Many shall say to me in that day, 
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out 
devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?" And verse 23, 
"And then will I profess unto them I never knew you : depart from me, 
ye that work iniquity." This is illustrated by other instances than the 
above cited. The witch of Endor could prophesy; most of the patriarchs 
also; the high priest for the time being by virtue of his office; the 
"sybilline leaves" contained true prophecies; the oracles in the heathen 
temples occasionally spoke truth. As to miracles, Simon Magus could 
raise his body from the earth like a bird, to the astonishment of his 
followers, at the very moment when he was opposing the apostles. 

843. Why are the people or congregation in Scripture 
called sheep? ( John x. etc.) 

Because the sheep is that creature which stands most 
(ordinarily) in want of a leader or guardian. 

844. In Ezekiel xxxiv. 31, they are the emblems of men. As sheep 
need a shepherd, so men in a civil state require a ruler, governor, or 
legislator. It is the same in the associated state as believers in Christ; 
no church or society could long subsist without pastors. Jesus Christ 
calls himself the Good Shepherd. Vitringa notices also that as sheep are 
destined for slaughter, so the first followers of Jesus were destined to 
suffer martyrdom. St. Paul, quoting the Psalms, says (Rom. viii. 36), 
*'For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep 
for the slaughter." Every reader of primitive history knows that the 
majority of the early Christians were called to undergo with patience the 
most severe outrages from their unbelieving fellow-men, and to die for 
the truth's sake. 



KNOWLEIXiE OF THE BIBLE. 187 

Symbolical Expressions. 

845. Wh^ does our Lord sa\) (John x. 4) thai his 
sheep k^ow him, that he calls them fcp their names, and 
that the]) folloT)} him? 

Because here (speaking allegorically of his true dis- 
ciples) he uses an illustration very familiar to his Oriental 
hearers as tenders of sheep, with whom the custom was to 
walk in front of their sheep — not behind them, as the prac- 
tice is with us. 

846. Travelers inform us that it is the usual practice In the East to 
do so, and that the sheep are still distinguished by name by their shep- 
herd but we need go no further than the Emerald Isle to learn that this 
practice may easily obtain. An Irish herdsman invariably walks in front 
of his charge, encouraging them by his voice, and calling them by name. 

847. What was the signification of the paraholic ques- 
tion, ''If a man hath an hundred sheep, and one uf them he 
gone astray, doth he not leave the ninet^^ and nine, and 
goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone 
astray,'' etc? (Matt, xviii. 12.) 

By the **one sheep" is understood the whole human 
race, and by the ninety-nine the angels in heaven. 

848. Jesus Christ manifests his tender regard and solicitude for us 
poor weak creatures, by becoming himself the Son of man; thus abandon- 
ing, in some measure, the angels who are in heaven. He is come down 
upon earth to save by his death what was lost, imitating thus with regard 
to men, the conduct they themselves observe with regard to their sheep. 

849. Why did our Savior say, that ''where two or 
three are gathered together in his name'' he i> *'f/i the midst 
of them"? (Matt, xviii. 20.) 

To show the superior efficacy of public over private 
worship. 

850. Why did Jesus Christ heal the impotent man on 
a Sabbath-day, to the scandal of the Pharisees? (John v.) 

Because he wished to show that the ceremonial law, or 
rather its strict letter, was not to stand in the way of char- 
ity, or to hinder benevolent actions; which were to be 
performed, under every variety of circumstance, and in 
behalf of every class of men. 

851. Jesus, having healed the paralyzed man, commanded him to take 
up his bed, and walk home. This was a new crime in the eyes of the 



]88 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 31-33. — The Demons Forbidden to Testify. 

I — __^ — ^— . 

Jews; benevolence had no place in their bosom; they persecuted Jesus, 
"and sought to slay him" (verse 16). 

852. Wh^ did our Savior permit the devils Tvho had 
been cast out of a possessed man to enter into a herd of 
swine? (Matt. viii. 32.) 

The following reasons have been alleged: — -1. To 
show that the devils had no power even over swine without 
his permission 2. That such as were freed from their 
power might acknowledge the greatness of the favor done 
them, by seeing from how great a multitude (of demons) 
they had been liberated. 3. To punish those Jewish citi- 
zens who fed upon swine's flesh, contrary to the law. 4. 
To show how willingly the devils dwell in the hearts of 
those who are addicted to a voluptuous and carnal life, 
aptly designated by the swine. 5. That the owners of the 
swine might rise in opposition to Jesus Christ, preferring 
their temporal interests to their spiritual, and drive him out 
of their country. 

853. The event showed the reasonableness of this view; the inhab- 
itants "besought Jesus that he would depart out of their coasts." 

854. Wh}) did our Savior forbid the unclean spirits 
to proclaim their l^noivledge of him as the Messiah? (Mark 
i. 25.) 

Because he would not suffer the devils to be produced 
as witnesses of his divinity. 

855. The fact recorded in the above text is repeated in verse 34, 
where, after casting out devils from some persons, he suffered them not 
to speak, "because they knew him." St. Augustine says that the devils 
knew Jesus was the Christ who had been prophesied and prefigured by 
so many types, but that they knew this in a very imperfect degree; that 
is to say, they did not to its full extent appreciate his divinity, else they 
would have never persecuted to death and crucified the Lord of glory. 
It was to inform himself more fully upon this matter, than Satan presented 
himself before our Lord in the wilderness. 

856. Who Were ''the children' of the scribes and 
Pharisees, of whom our Lord speaks as having the power 
to cast out devils?^ (Matt. xii. 27) 

Some by this text understand that there were in the 

* "If I, by the finger of God, cast out devils, by whom do your 
children cast them out?" 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 189 

A.C. 31-33. — Christ Feeds Five Thousand Men. 

Jewish church '^exorcists,'* who had the power, that by in- 
voking the holy name of God the devils were put to flight; 
others (as St. Chrysostom, Horn. 42) say that the apostles 
and disciples are here meant. These were all the children 
of Christ's accusers, and had already cast out devils in 
virtue of the power conferred upon them by their Divine 
Master. 

857. Yet they had never been accused of casting out devils through 
Beelzebub; envy alone urged the enemies of Christ to accuse him of 
being in (an impossible) league with Satan — using the power of hell to 
undermine itself! 

858. What is the meaning of the word ''Beelzebub-^ 
It was the name of a Philistine idol, but was applied 

by the Jews to Satan, the leader or prince of the powers 
of hell. 

859. "Beelzebub" was a compound word, formed from baal, "a lord," 
"ruler," "governor," and zebub, "a fly." By the Jews the name was 
contemptuously altered to Beelzebul, which meant a "dunghill king," or 
ruler; in Latin, dominus stercoris. The Jews were very fond of quibbling 
or playing upon words, and frequently altered the termination of names 
in order to throw contempt upon the bearers of them. 

860. Why did the woman who had an issue of blood 
hope to be cured b}) touching the hem of Christ's garment? 
(Mark V. 28.) 

Because, among the Jewish people, a particular virtue 
was habitually ascribed to the garments worn by prophets 
and others of reputed sanctity; as, for instance, the cloak 
of Elijah, by which many prodigies are recorded as having 
been wrought. 

86L So far from this feeling, or rather faith, being discouraged by 
our Lord, the result of the woman's application in the complete and 
instantaneous cure for her malady, proves that he fully endorsed it; and 
after his resurrection, it will be seen that the apostles inherited in a 
large degree this transmissible miraculous power. In the Acts of the 
Apostles we read that handkerchiefs and aprons used by them were made 
the means, under Divine Providence, of curing diseases; even the "shadow 
of Peter passing by" was efficacious for the healing of the sick and the 
dispossession of demoniacs. (Acts v. 15, 16.) 

862. Why did our Savior multiply the five loaves and 
two fishes into a sufficient quantity to feed five thousand 
persons in the desert? (Matt. xiv. 15-21.) 

1 . Because he had compassion on the multitude, who 
had followed him patiently in order to hear his discourses. 



90 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



A.C. 31-33. — Christ Walks upon the Water. 

and were for the most' part unprovided with the means 
of refreshment. 2. Because he chose to embrace that 
opportunity of exhibiting his power as a divine person over 
the creatures of his providence by the miraculous multiph- 
cation of the food] 

863. This was one of the greatest of Christ's miracles, and it was 
also one of the most significant. Leaving out of view the mystical 
meaning of the act, the miracle showed the kind and gentle character of 
Jesus Christ in its most striking light. The vast assemblage had followed 
the great Teacher, and appear to have quite forgotten to provide for the 
ordinary wants of their bodies. They were in a desert place; it was 
growing dark; the disciples were anxious that Jesus should dismiss the 
people while there v^^as sufficient light for their return to the town; but 
he suggests to his disciples , "knowing what he would do," that they 
should provide for them. The surprise of the disciples may be imagined. 
They had a scanty store, barely sufficient for the immediate wants of 
Jesus and the few familiar friends who constantly attended him. He 
commanded the loavs and fishes to be brought to him, the people to be 
seated upon the grass. He invoked the name of his Heavenly Father, 
and distributed enough to fill and satisfy the wondering multitude. 

864. Wh^ did our Savior after this miracle imme- 
diatel]) depart, going up into a mountain alone to pra^? 

Because he wished to avoid the applause of those in 
whose behalf he had performed it. 

865. Wh}) n>ere the disciples, during the storm Ti^hich 
ensued, alarmed at the appearance of Jesus walking upon 
the Tvater ? 

Because their fears had been greatly excited by the 
storm, and under their influence they failed to recognize the 
person of our Savior. 

866. Why did St. Peter ask ^o he permitted to follovj 
the example of his Master b)^ "Walking upon the rpater? 

From an eagerness to join our Savior's company, and 
a belief that at the command of Jesus he could do what 
to his mere human nature was impossible. 

867. Wh]) did St. Peter begin to sink when at the 
command of Jesus he walked upon the lake? 

Because his first fervent faith began to cool ; not that he 
lost it, but that he suffered his fears of the wind and waves 
to interrupt the confidence which he at first experienced. 

868. As long as Peter had his eye and faith fixed on Christ the liquid 
element yielded not to his steps; but the moment he turns his thoughts 
on himself, his own weakness, and the violence of the wind and waves. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 191 

A.C. 31-33.— The Lord's Prayer Given. 



he begins to lose confidence, and on that account to sink. Again his faith 
saves him; he calls upon his Lord, who stretches forth his arm and takes 
hold of him. — (Jansen.) 

By his confidence in God we learn what we can do by the divine 
assistance, and by his fear what we are of ourselves; also that no one 
receives from God the strength he stands in need of but he who feels 
that of himself he can do nothing — (St. Augustine, Serm. 776.) 

869. Wh^ did our Savior ''touch'* the leper when he 
designed to heal him of his leprosy, when h^ the Jewish law 
such an act would render him legall]) unclean? 

Because he would thereby show to the Jews that al- 
though as a man he was obedient to the law, as God he was 
superior to it; the fact of the leprosy being at once miracu- 
lously cured being the best proof thereof. 

870. According to the law the leper had to go through a number of 
tedious and fatiguing ceremonies previous to his hoping even to be 
cleansed. Probably the leper in question had complied with all the re- 
quired rules laid down in his case, but had failed to reap any benefit 
from them. Now that he is instantaneously cleansed by our Lord, he is. 
told to show his gratitude to God by a compliance with the legal 
conditions. 

871. Why was the ''Lord's pra'^er' given? 

As an example of brevity, comprehensiveness, and sim- 
plicity; in contradistinction to the tedious and self-laudatory 
effusions used and recommended by the Pharisees and 
Jewish doctors. 

872. That this was the reason for giving the "Our Father" may 
also be deduced from the fact that the only model of a good prayer left to 
man by Jesus Christ is that put in the mouth of the Publican (Luke xviii. 
13), and which consists of seven words only. Jahn* says: — **Our Lord's 
prayer is a selection of the most devotional and appropriate sentiments 
from the Jewish formularies extant in his time." 

.873. Why Were special directions given by our Lord 
with regard to the distribution of alms?1i (Matt. vi. 1.) 

Because at that time the practice of alms-giving, which 
had been prescribed by the Mosaic law as a religious duty, 
had degenerated into an ostentatious and organized 
hypocrisy among the Jews, who used to summon the poor 
to a conspicuous part of the town or city by the aid of a 
trumpet. 

* Biblical Archaeology, § 396. 

t "Therefore, when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet 
before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that 
they may have the glory of men." (Matt, vi., 2.) 



192 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 31-33. — Lazarus Restored to Life. 

874. What is meant by the sin against the Holy Ghost 
rvhich should not he forgiven, ''neither in this world, nor in 
the rvorld that is to come'? (Matt. xii. 31) 

By this sin is understood what is called **willful blind- 
ness," or a shutting the eyes of the mind to evident truth. 



875. "From its ver>' nature this sin would be incapable of pardon; 
for as long as a man will not see that he needs pardon he will omit to 
ask for it, and thus he will never obtain it." — (Calmet.) 

A great many discourses have been made upon this subject; even 
the greatest commentators admit the difficulty of the question. St. 
Augustine takes notice that this is one of the most mysterious passages 
in the Scriptures, as it seems to go against what is elsewhere stated, that 
there is no sin so heinous as to be beyond the reach of pardon. 

876. Who was Lazarus? 

He was an inhabitant of Bethany, the brother of Mary 
and Martha, in whose abode our Savior stayed while 
preaching in that part of Judea. 



877. Very few particulars are known of the career of this friend of 
Jesus; for that he held that favored relationship to our Lord is evident 
by the evangelical narrative. Jesus is therein represented as weeping at 
the news of Lazarus' death, and it is the only example in the gospels 
of our Lord having shown such a token of regard tor any of his disciples. 
Lazarus was thirty years old when the miracle recorded in John xii. was 
worked: he lived thirty years afterwards, and by some is said to have 
itinerated as an apostle in France. Many churches in that country are 
named after Lazarus, e. g., St. Lazare at Paris. 



878. Why did the Jews seek ^o k^ll Lazarus whom 
our Lord had restored to life after he had been more than 
four days dead? 

Because that, by reason of the miracle performed in his 
behalf, many of the Jews went away and believed on Jesus. 



879. The resuscitation of a person so well known as Lazarus was a 
work of Christ beyond measure great, and of all the miracles he had 
hitherto wrought undoubtedly the most stupendous. It is minutely 
described in John xi. The credit which Jesus obtained among the people 
by this illustrious act, of which the life and presence of Lazarus afforded 
a standing evidence, was gall and wormwood to the Sanhedrin. Accord- 
ingly they sought, by every or any means, to assassinate him. In this thev 
were, however, completely foiled; Lazarus escaped to proclaim far and 
wide the doctrines and glory of Jesus Christ. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 193 

A.C. 31-33. — The Sentence upon Capernaum. 

880. Wh^ were the friends of Lazarus, upon his being 
recalled to life h^ Jesus Christ, hidden to *'loose him, and 
let him go''? (John xi. 44.) 

Because such was the nature of the methods used by 
the Jews in burial, that a corpse was completely bound and 
fettered by the grave-clothes. 

88L The character of the Egyptian mode of sepulture is familiar to 
every one who has visited our national museums. The Jewish method 
differed to some extent from this; the process of embalming was gone 
through to a greater or lesser extent', according to the means of the friends 
of the deceased. In the case of Lazarus it would appear that embalmment 
was omitted. Martha and Mary were poor; and the fear expressed by 
them that, having been dead four days, his liody would emit an offensive 
odor (ver. 39), would seem to preclude the notion. The corpse, after 
receiving the preliminary attentions — the ablutions, etc. — was enveloped 
in the grave-clothes. The disposition of these will be understood from 
the annexed cut- 
Sometimes these 
clothes were no- 
thing more than 
the ordinary dress 
or folds of linen 
cloth wrapped 

round the body, grave-clothes. 

and a napkin about the head; at others a more elaborate shroud was 
used for the purpose, and was plain or ornamental, according to taste or 
other circumstances. In every case the body was completely imprisoned, 
and it will hence be easily seen how necessary it was that the revived 
Lazarus should receive assistance from the bystanders, in order that he 
might be ^'loosed" and "let go." 

882. Wh]) did our Lord pronounce the severe sentence 
upon Capernaum? (Luke x. 15.) 

**Christ, having left Nazareth, made this city the usual 
place of his abode. There was no city in which he had 
preached so much or wrought so many miracles. On this 
account he said it was exalted to the heavens; but for its 
incredulity he declares that it shall be cast down even to 
hell.'— (Calmet.) 

883. Wh^ is the **iPoe" uttered h}) our Lord against 
Chorazin particularly notervorthy? 

Because for many hundreds of years no trace, not even 
the name, of this town, have been found; so that the fate of 
total obliteration appears to have long since overtaken it. 




194 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

Children and "their Angels." 

884. St. Jerome speaks of Chorazin as a town of Galilee, on the 
shore of the lake Tiberia^; but no modern geographer or traveler has 
been able to find its site. 

885. Wh^ is it said (Matt. v. 18), ''Till heaven and 
earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from 
the laxp till all he fulfilled'' ? 

1 . Because our Lord came to fulfill the intention of the 
ceremonial and typical parts of the law; until he had done 
so in his own person, no part of that law should be set 
aside. 2. Because, although the types (being accom- 
plished) would cease, the moral law should last for ever, 
i.e., until heaven and earth should pass away. 

886. The word "jot" is here the jod of the Hebrew and the iota of 
the Greek. It is a small letter, and is used to signify the least, as 
alpha and omega, being the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, 
stand to represent "the first and last," "the beginning and the end." 

887. Wh'^ did the JeXoish people present their children 
to Jesus, that ''he might put his hands on them and pray' ? 
(Matt. xix. 13.) 

It was the custom to present children to men reputed as 
holy, as it is now the custom for bishops and clerics to pray 
and give a blessing to others. 

888. It was to the "elders" that these presentations took place. In all 
probability our Lord had a very serious and venerable appearance, not- 
withstanding his real youth, he being then not thirty-three years of age, 
or, according to the reckoning of some, not more than thirty-eight. It is 
said that among the children presented to our Savior upon this or a similar 
occasion was the afterward illustrious Ignatius, bishop and martyr of 
Antioch. 

889. Wh'^ did our Savior sal;, in reference to chil- 
dren, "their angels do a/iPa];s behold the face of mp Father 
which is in heaven' ? (Matt, xviii. 10.) 

1 . Because he thus advanced the strongest possible 
argument for their protection. 2. To show that there are 
such beings as **angel guardians.*' 

890. The Jews at that time believed that men had their good angels, 
or angels appointed to be their guardians. (Gen. xl. 16.) St. Paul refers 
to this belief in the passage, "Are they not all ministering spirits gent 
forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Heb. i. 14.) 

As to the belief of the early Church, St. Augustine says. — "I esteem 
it, O my God, an inestimable benefit that thou hast granted me an angel 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 195 



The Forgiveness of Injuries. 



to guide me from the moment of mv birth to my death." — (St. Augustine, 
'*Of the Love of God," cap. 12.) 

891. Why does our Savior say that *'it is not the rvill 
of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones 
should perish'* (Matt, xviii. 14), while in another place he 
says that a great many rvill perish? (Matt. vii. 1 3.) 

There is no contradiction here, as will be seen by the 
statement of the case: — 

892. "Here some may perhaps object, that since the Almighty does 
not wish any of his little ones to perish, he must consequently wish all to 
be saved, and therefore that all will be saved. Now this is not the case: 
the will of the Almighty is therefore sometimes frustrated in its effects, 
which is contrary to Scripture. The answer to this objection is, that in 
God we must distinguish two distinct wills — the one antecedent, the other 
consequent. A person wills a thing antecedently when he wills it merely 
as considered in itself; for instance, a prince wishes his subjects to 
live, inasmuch as they are all his subjects. But a person wills a thing 
consepuently when he wills a thing in consideration of some particular 
circumstance. Thus, though the king wishes all his subjects to live, 
he nevertheless wills that some should die if they turn traitors, or 
disorganize the peace of society. In the same manner the Almighty wishes 
none of his little ones to perish, inasmuch as they are all his creatures, 
made to his own image, and destined for the kingdom of glory; though it is 
equally certain that he wills the eternal punishment of many who have 
turned away from his service, and followed iniquity. If this distinction 
is observed, it is easv to see what our Savior meant when he said that it 
was not the will of his father that any of these little ones should perish" 
— John Damascenus.) 

893. Why was St. Peter, in answer to his question 
(Matt. xvii. 21 ), told that he must forgive his offending 
brother seventy times seven, i e., four hundred and ninety 
times ? 

By that expression our Lord meant to say that there was 
to be no limit to the extension of our forgiveness to a 
brother; in other words, we are to pardon private injuries, 
though done ever so often. 

894. St. Peter knev/ the Jews to be much given to the passion of 
revenge; he therefore thought if a great proof of superior virtue to be able 
to forgive seven times. It was for this reason he proposed this questioti 
to our Lord, who, to show how much he esteemed mutual charity, imme- 
diately gave him- the above answer. 

895. Why did our Savior seem to reject the petition 
of the Canaanitish woman, who besought his aid to cure her 
daughter?. (Matt. xv. 22-28.) 

Because he wished to try her faith and power of 
perseverance. 



196 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

St. Peter's Martyrdom Predicted. 

896. Wh^ did our Lord call her b^ inference a dog? 
It being customary among the Jews to apply the term 

to the Gentile neighbors, he accommodated himself for 
the time to that view, in order the better to try the 
woman's patience. 

897. **He refused at first to listen to her petition," says St. Chrysos- 
tom, "to instruct us with what faith, humility and perseverance we ought 
to pray. To make his servants more sensible of his mercy, and more eager 
to obtain it, he often appears to pay no attention to their prayers till he 
has exercised them in the virtues of humlity and patience." 

898. Why did our Savior object to the observations 
on the Weather made b]) the scribes and Pharisees? (Matt, 
xiv. 2 — 4.) 

Because they suffered these less important matters to 
engross so much of their attention, while they permitted the 
more interesting prognostics of his coming and appearance 
to pass over without observation, or at least without bene- 
fiting by them. 

899. Why was the name of Peter given to Simon? 
(Matt. xvii. 18.) 

In reward for his bold and faithful declaration that 
Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God 

900. What is the meaning of the word Peter? 

It is formed from the Syriac Cephas and Greek petros, 
*'a rock" and signified that its possessor was a rock or strong 
defense of the truth or a foundation upon which the Church 
should be built. 

901. Why is it said of St, Peter that when he should 
be old ''he should stretch out his hands, and another should 
gird him'' ? 

Because in these words the martyrdom of the apostle 
was intended to be foreshown; the act of stretching out the 
hands being among the Jews and Romans of that day a 
mark of submission. 

902. It was customary in the ancient combats for the vanquished 
person to throw up or stretch out his hands to the conqueror, signifying 
that he declined the battle, yielded the victory, and submitted to the 
direction of the victor. To this custom our Lord alludes in his prediction 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 197 

The Temptation of the Tribute Money. 

to St. Peter. The aged apostle was to stretch out his hands as a token of 
V submission to that power (the Roman empire), under which his mortal 
part would fall and perish. 

903. Wh^ did St Peter merit the severe rebuke from 
our Savior conveyed in the rvords, ''Get thee behind me, 
Satan'?, (Matt. xvi. 23.) 

Because, out of mistaken zeal, he opposed Christ's pas- 
sion and death, without which the great work of man's 
redemption could not have been effected. 

904. The word Satan here used was the same as adversary. Peter, 
however mistakenly or unwillingly, was for the moment the adversary of 
Jesus Christ. He did not understand that there was nothing more glorious 
than to make -one's self a sacrifice to God. 

905. IVh}) did Jesus Christ dismiss without a sentence 
of punishment the woman taf^en in adultery? (John viii. 
3-11.) 

Because he wished to show the Jews who accused her 
that her sin, although heinous, was not greater than those 
which they were in the daily habit of committing, and which 
he was ready to forgive whenever they should show signs of 
repentance equal to those exhibited by the woman in ques- 
tion. 

906. Jesus Christ does not say, "I do not object to your sinning," 
but "go and sin no more." It is evident that the woman was really sorry 
for her crimes, or he who beholds all hearts would not have pronounced 
her pardon. The law with regard to the stoning to death of persons taken 
in adultery will be found in Deut. xvii. 2-7; the apostolic commentary upon 
the conduct of the woman's accusers in Romans ii. 1. 

907. Why did the Pharisees and Scribes put difficult 
questions to our Lord under the form, ''Is it lawful?** when 
they themselves, as the possessors and expounders of the 
law, could stand in no need of any information upon the 
matters referred to? 

Because they wished to lead him into admissions con- 
trary to the Mosaical code, and thus have an occasion to 
denounce him to the people as a subverter of the law. 

908. What advantage to themselves did the Jews, the 
enemies of Jesus, expect from the temptation of the tribute- 
money? (Luke XX. 20, etc.) 



198 knowledgje: of the bible. 

The Temptation of the Tribute Money. 

They hoped by their cunningly-contrived question to 
inveigle our Lord into the expression of some words or ad- 
vices w^hich should offend either the Jewish converts, the 
Flerodians (or partisans of Herod), or the Roman im- 
perial power. 

909. "Is it lawful," said they — showing him a piece of the tribute- 
money — *'to give tribute to Caesar, or no?" They hated, of course, the 
domination of Caesar. Had our Lord advised the willing payment of the 
tribute, the Jews of every class would have been offended. Had he advised 
a doubtful course by referring the matter to Herod, who, as ruler of 
Galilee, was his temporal king, and who aspired to an independent rule, 
he would have been also in danger. Had he disapproved of the payment, 
the Jews would undoubtdly have denounced Jesus to the imperial tribunals 
as a disaffected person and a stirrer-up of revolution. He turned the 
question against themselves by showing them that the current coin bore 
the image and superscription of the Roman emperor, intimating that those 
who had allowed themselves to be enslaved, as proved by the coin, must 
expound the import and bear the consequences of their own act. 

910. IVh^ Tvas the pa})ment of this trihute-mone]) so 
odious to the Jews? 

Because, notwithstanding their degeneracy, they re- 
garded themselves as the people of God, and as such ex- 
empted from any such imposition. 

9n. To oppose the levying of this tribute, Judas the Gaulonite 
(B.C. 3) raised an insurrection of the Jews, asserting that it was not lawful 
to pay tribute to a foreigner, that it was a token of servitude, and that 
the Jews were not allowed to acknowledge any for their master who did 
not worship the Lord. They boasted of being a free nation, and of never 
having been in bondage to any man (!). These sentiments were extensively 
promulgated, but all their efforts were of no avail in restraining^ or 
mitigating the exactions of their conquerors. 

912. Wh^ did the. apostles afterwards (Acts v. 37) 
recommend the payment of this and similar imposts? 

Because as they had received instructions from the 
Holy Spirit, they laid it down as a Christian duty that 
every one should be loyally subject to the higher power, 
**for the powers that be are ordained of God." 

913. Our Lord had in his own person set his apostles an example of 
this. Being called upon to pay the tribute, and being without money, Tjy 
his direction the apostles draw a fish from the water, and extract from 
its mouth the necessary coin. (Matt. xvii. 27.) 

914. Why is it said, in answer to the objections of the 
Sadducees, who denied the resurrection, that in a future 
state the just shall be like the angels? (Matt. xxii. 30.) 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 199 

The Sadducees Silenced. 

Because in that state the duties as well as the pleasures 
will be of a character different in an infinite degree to those 
of the earth. 



915. The objection taken by the Sadducees that a confusion would 
occur between the several husbands of one wife is shown by our Lord 
to be idle: the body will be reunited to the soul in heaven, and thus far 
the state of the blessed will differ from that of the angels, who are purely 
spiritual intelligences; but as there will be no marrying, or giving in 
marriage; as the occupations, the aims, the whole scope of celestial being, 
will differ from terrestrial, any squaring of the one set of ideas with the 
other, or any argument from the one to the other, is out of the question. 
The just will be like the angels chiefly in deriving all their gratification 
from the perfect knowledge and presence of God; from the gift of immor- 
tality, impassibility, etc. 

916. Wh\) did our Lord foretell in such a striking 
manner the fall of Jerusalem? 

In order that the Jews, from the regard in which they 
held their city and temple, might be the more readily 
touched and their interest the more thoroughly excited. 



917. The particulars handed down to us of the fall of Jerusalem 
correspond exactly with the predictions contained in Luke xxi. 9-11. 
Josephus, in his History of the Wars of the Jews, relates at length 
many of the prodigies which were the forerunners of the dreadful end 
of that unfortunate city. During a whole year a meteor, like a flaming 
sword, was seen impending over Jerusalem. There were likewise seen 
io the air appearances of chariots and numerous armies, which pressed 
one upon another. On the night of Pentecost the priests, after a confused 
noise, heard distinctly these words, "Let us go hence;'* which Josephus 
attributed to the angels who had hitherto guarded and protected the holy 
city, but were now taking their leave of it. Josephus was in the Roman 
camp, before the city, during the siege, and an eye-witness of what passed 
on the occasion. 

918. Why does our Savior say^ (Luke xxi. 24) that 
** Jerusalem shall he trodden down of the Gentiles until the 
times of the Gentiles shall he fulfilled'' ? 

The answer to this question, given by Calmet, is as 
follows : — 

919' "After Jerusalem had been taken and destroyed by the Romans, 
another city was built from its ruins, called ^lia, after the name of the 
Emperor y^lias Adrian. This was inhabited partly by Pagans and partly 
by Christians for the Jews were forbidden even to come near it for more 
than two or three centuries. They even bought, at a great price, permt's- 



200 . KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

Destructon of Jerusalem Foretold. 



sion to look at it from a distance, and to drop a tear over the ashes of 
their ancient and ill-fated country. Thus was Jerusalem trodden under 
foot of the Gentiles until the times of the latter were accomplished; 
that is, till Christianity in every nation had triumphed over the perse- 
cution of Paganism." It is an incontrovertible fact, that the Jews have 
never been able to rebuild their temple and city from the days of Titus 
till now, although many attempts have been made to do so. 

920. Wh^ did the ''buildings of the temple,'' which 
attracted our Lord's notice ti^hile discoursing with his apos- 
tles, prompt him to utter the prediction of its fall? (Matt, 
xxiv. 1.) 

Because the very works themselves, then going on by 
order of Herod, were a proximate cause of the troubles in 
Jerusalem which ended in its destruction. Thus: — 

92L Herod (the Great), to ingratiate himself with the Jewish people, 
to whom he was on many accounts utterly odious, formed a design (b.c. 17) 
to rebuild and beautify the temple, which now, after it had stood five 
hundred years, and had suffered from the various sieges and civil commo- 
tions, was fallen much into decay. He was two years in providing 
materials, and it was so far advanced that in nine years and a half mofe, 
service was performed in it, though a great number of laborers and 
artificers were continued to finish the outworks till several years after our 
Lord's ascension. When Gessius Florus was appointed governor of Judea, 
he discharged 18,000 workmen from the temple at one time, and these, 
from want of employment, began those mutinies and seditions which at 
last drew on the destruction of the temple and city by the Romans in 
A.D. 70. 

922. What is meant h^ the ''abomination of desola- 
tion' rvhich Daniel (ix. 27) prophesied? 

It referred to the intrusion into the holy places of the 
ensigns and images of the heathens when Jerusalem was 
taken and finally destroyed. 

923. As a general designation, it is used for whatever denotes the 
triumph oi idolatrous power over the sanctuary of God. Its more particu- 
lar references in the New Testament is to the armies of Titus. The images 
of their gods and emperors were delineated on the ensigns of the Romans; 
and the ensigns themselves, especially the eagles, which were carried at 
the heads of the legions, were objects of worship; and, therefore, acord- 
ing to the style of Scripture, an abomination. The Jews regarded them 
as such, and in the midst of their apathy could be excited by their appear- 
ance to a pitch of heroic resistance. 

924. IVh^ did our Savior prophesy in reference to 
the destruction of the temple that not one stone should 
remain upon another? (Matt. xxiv. 2.) 

In order to show that not only in gross but in detail 
every future event was known to him, and to furnish us, who 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 201 

The End of the World. 

have been witnesses of the perfect fulfillment of this par- 
ticular prophecy, with another argument of his Divinity. 

925. Although, under Vespasian, Jerusalem and the temple were 
leveled with the ground, the complete fulfillment of Christ's prophecy did 
not take place until some centuries had elapsed. Julian the Apostate, 
wishing to falsify the predictions of Daniel and of Jesus Christ, attempted 
to rebuild the temple. For this purpose he assembled the chief among 
the Jews, and asking them why they neglected the prescribed sacrifices, 
was answered, that they could offer sacrifice no where but in the temple o? 
Jerusalem. Upon this he ordered them to repair to Jerusalem, to rebuild 
their temple, and restore their ancient worship, promising them his 
concurrence in carrying on the work. This filled the Jews with inexpress- 
ible joy. Hence, flocking to Jerusalem, they began with scorn and triumph 
to insult over the Christians. Contributions came in from all parts. The 
Jewish women stripped themselves of their most costly ornaments. The 
emperor opened his treasures to furnish everything necessary for the 
building. The most able workmen were convened from all parts; person*^ 
of the greatest distinction were appointed to direct the works; and the 
emperor's friend, Alipius, was set over the whole, with orders to carry 
on the work without ceasing, and to spare no expense. All materials 
were laid in to an immense quantity. The Jews of both sexes bore a 
share in the labor; the women helping to dig the ground and carry the 
rubbish in their aprons and gowns. It is even said that the Jews 
appointed some pickaxes, spades, and baskets to be made of silver, for 
the honor of the work. Till this time the foundations and some ruins 
of the walls had remained, as appears from St. Cyril, in his "Catechism," 
15, n. 15, and Euseb. "Dem. Evang." 1-8, p. 406. These ruins the Jews 
first demolished with their own hands, thus concurring to the accomplish- 
ment of our Savior's prediction. They next began to dig the new foun- 
dations, in which many thousands were employed. But what they had 
thrown up in the day, was, by repeated earthquakes, the night following 
cast back again into the trench. When Alipius the next day was earnestly 
pressing on the work, with the assistance of the governor of the province, 
there issued, says Ammianus Marcellinus, such horrible balls of fire out 
of the earth near the foundations, as to render the place inaccessible 
from time to time to the scorched workmen. And the victorious element 
continuing in this manner, obstinately bent, as it were, to drive them to 
a distance, Alipius thought proper to abandon, though reluctantly, the 
enterprise. This great event happened in the beginning of the year 363, 
and, with many very astonishing circumstances, is recorded by both Jews 
and Christians. 

926. Why Tvill there he a general judgment at ''the 
last day*? 

Because by that means the ways of Providence will be 
justified before all and acknowledged by all. 

927. A picture, by Michael Angelo, of the Last Judgment, in the 
Sistine chapel at Rome, is thus described : — 

"The picture is grand, nay gigantic, like the mind that conceived it. 
It represents Christ in the act of judging, or rather, in the act of con- 
demning. Martyrs are seen, who show to the Judge of the living and the 
dead the instruments of their torture; souls ascend to the choirs of angels 



202 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Parables of our Savior. 



hovering above; the condemned strive in vain to break loose from the 
grasp of the demons; there the evil spirits burst into shouts of triumph 
at the sight of their prey; the last who are dragged down endeavor to 
cling to the good, who remain in Christ's kingdom; the gulf of eternal 
damnation is seen opening; Jesus Christ is seen surrounded by his 
apostles, who place a crown on his head, and by a multitude of saints, 
while angels above carry in triumph the emblems of his passion; and, 
lower down, another company of angels sound the trumpets which awaken 
the dead from their tombs and call them to judgment." 

928. What is the purpose of the parable of the good 
Samaritan? (Luke x. 30.) 

The intent is to show that every person who has need of 
our assistance is to receive it; is to be regarded as our 
neighbor, and entitled to all those acts of charity and 
courtesy which a neighbor may claim. 

929. This duty is placed by our Lord in the strongest light by his 
selecting as its object the person of a Samaritan — one who stands as the 
type of a bad neighbor, or an alien. It has been shown how bitter were 
the feelings engendered and nourished between the Jews and Samaritans. 
Christians are hereby taught that they must not restrict their charity to 
Christians, but extend them equally to Jews, infidels, and pagans. 

930. What "Was the purpose of the striking parable of 
the rich man and Lazarus? (Luke xvi. 19.) 

It was intended to enforce the previous exhortations to 
mercy and a consideration for the poor; also to rebuke the 
love of riches. 

931. Wh^ is the ''rich man' in this parable not men- 
tioned b}) name, while the beggar is so distinguished? 

Probably because our Lord did not wish the appli- 
cation to be confined in any way, which might have been 
the case had a Jewish or a Gentile name been given to the 
glutton. 

932. Wh"^ is Lazarus the beggar described as in 
Abraham* s bosom? (Luke xvi. 22.) 

Because by that expression is signified a state of perfect 
felicity in heaven. 

933. According to Hebrew diction a beloved son, though at a distance, 
is still said to be in the "bosom" of his parents. "The king is 
indeed very fond of that man, he keeps him in his bosom." "Yes the 
servant is a great favorite with his master, he has a place in his bosom." 
"Do you never intend your son to go out of your bosom?" These are 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 203 



Parables of Our Savior. 



ordinary expressions in the East. The ideas implied by the term 
"bosom," are, intense affection, security and comfort. Thus, also, that 
passage in St. John i. 18, "The only begotten son, which is in the bosom 
of the Father, he hath declared him." 

934. IVh}) is it said ''beirveen us and ])ou (i. e., be- 
iXDeen Lazarus in heaven and the gutton in hell) there is a 
great gulf fixed'* ? (Luke xvi. 26.) 

To show that when the sinner or the saint has passed 
the portals of either dweUing, there is no possibiHty of 
return. 

935. The rich man begs Abraham, if he cannot afford him any relief 
in his torments, to send at least a warning message to his brethren on 
earth. Abraham's reply was intended for the Jews. "If they heard not 
Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose 
from the dead»" 

"They would say," adds Calmet, "that the dead man was a phantom; 
that his resurrection was not real; his assertions nugatory. When Christ 
raised Lazarus of Bethany from the dead, the miracle was known, evi- 
dent, and public; yet we find none of the Pharisees converted by it. They 
were even so mad as to enter into a design to kill Lazarus, to get rid 
of the witness who deposed against their incredulity. How many other 
miracles did he not perform in their sight which they attributed to the 
prince of darkness or to magic! Christ raised himself from the dead. 
This fact was attested by many unexceptionable witnesses, and what did 
the hardened Jews do? They objected, that his disciples, stealing away 
the body, maliciously persuaded the people that he had risen." 

936. Wh}) did our Savior eat with publicans and sin- 
ners to the scandal of the Jetps? 

I . In order to win the former from their unlawful prac- 
tices through the purity and justice of his conversation and 
example. 2. In order to show to the latter that a mere 
outward observance of the law established no claim to the 
favor of God. 

9S7. The Pharisees considered the publicans as irrecoverably lost 
characters, they themselves being beyond risk. It was to rebuke this 
self-suiRciency that Jesus Christ so often consorted with "sinners;" that 
he gave the parables of the lost sheep — of the lost piece of silver — of 
the prodigal son — and of the Pharisee and publican. 

938. What lesson is convened fcp the parable of the 
Pharisee and publican?- 

It exhibits the model of a true worshiper in contra- 
distinction to one who users the outward ordinances of 
religion from an improper motive. 



204 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

Parables of our Savior. 



939. Why is the Pharisee in the parable blamed for 
praising himself, when Job is commended for doing the 
same thing? (Job xlii. 7.) 

The difference is evident: the former praised himself 
without any necessity, merely with an intention of indulging 
his vanity, and extolling himself over the poor publican; 
the latter being overwhelmed with misery, and upbraided by 
his friends, as if, forsaken by God he suffered distress in 
punishment for his crimes, justifies himself for the glory 
of God, and for the encouragement of others similarly 
afflicted. 

940. Why is the episode of Zaccheus related? (Luke 
xix. ) 

An anser to this question is given by St. Ambrose: — 

94L **What sinner can despair when he sees the Savior of mankind 
seeking to save him; when he beholds even a publican, and a rich man 
at the same time, who, as our Savior informs us in another place, is 
so seldom truly converted, brought to the light of faith and the grace of 
a true conversion?" 

Zaccheus. who was a farmer of taxes, and not a portitor or collector, 
at first moved by the simple motive of curiosity, wishes to see Jesus. 
He hears that the reputed Messiah is to pass by his neighborhood. 
Being a very short man he ascends a tree to get a better view and not to 
be incommoded by the crowd. The first glance of Jesus is sufficient 
to convert him. He hastens to obey the call of his Lord, hearkening to 
the interior voice of his conscience, and making haste not only to repent, 
but to restore anything he may have unfairly acquired. — (St. Cyril.) 

942. Why is it argued that our Lord, in the parable of 
the man ivho orved ten thousand talents, approves the prac- 
tice of slavery?'^ (Matt, xviii. 25.) 

Because it was no part of his mission on earth to alter 
the institutions or the economy of nations except so far as 
the spirit of his gospel should influence men of their own 
accord to do so. 

* "The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a certain king, which 
would take account of his servants. 

"And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought to him which 
owed ten thousand talents: 

"But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be 
sold, and his wife and his children, and all that he had, and payment 
to be made." 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 205 



Parables of our Savior. 



943. On the contrary, he commanded his disciples by word and 
example to submit to all the laws and regulations of society for his sake; 
the only exception to this rule being where there was a complete incom- 
patibility between the service of the state under which his followers 
found themselves and the observance of the divine law. 

944. What was the value represented by a talent? 
Figurately, it signified any great gift, moral, intellectual, 

or material. Its actual money value among the ancients is 
a matter of doubt. A talent of gold is said to be 4900 lb. ; 
of silver, 375 lb. 

945. The ten thousand talents mentioned, Matt, xviii. 24, according 
to some authors amount to about $9,335,000. The hundred pence amounted 
to no more than $15. 

946. What Jvas the principal meaning of the parable 
of the ten talents? (Matt. xxv. 1.) 

It was intended to enforce the truth that God will de- 
mand from every man an account of the use he has made of 
those talents, abilities, or means of usefulness with which 
he has endowed him. 

947. What is the lesson intended to be convened in the 
parable of the importunate widow? ^ (Luke xviii.) 

That Christians should be earnest and persevering in 
their prayers to God, and not be easily discouraged. 

948. This judge, who feared not God nor regarded man, yet yielded 
to the importunity of the widow, represents the absolute and sovereign 
power of God. But we must not suppose the Almighty has any of the 
faults we see in this iniquitous judge. Comparisons are not made to 
hold good in every particular. The only consequence to be drawn from 
the present parable is this: if man, who has neither piety nor tenderness 
for his fellow-creatures, yield to the importunity of a widow, who is 
not wearied out with repeating her petitions, how much more will God, 
who is full of bounty and compassion to man, and only seeks occasion.-, 
to grant him his gifts, hear the prayers of the fervent, and fill with 
benediction the petitioner, who can continue, like the widow, to importune 
his interference, and can beg without languor or discouragement. — 
(Calmet.) 

* "There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither 
regarded man: 

"And there was a widow in that city: and she came unto him, saying, 
Avenge me of mine adversary. 

"And he would not for a while: but afterwards he said wtthin 
himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 

"Yet, because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by 
her continual coming she weary me." 



206 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

Parables of our Savior. 

949. What is the meaning of the parable commencing, 
''There was a certain householder?''^ (Matt. xxi. 33.) 

This Master is God; the vineyard the Jews; the hus- 
bandmen the Jewish priests; the servants Gods prophets, 
sent from time to time; the Son is our Saviour Christ, 
whom they persecuted to death. 

950. Wh^, in the parable of the viney^ard, is the owner 
said to have built a tower? 

Because it was customary in the East, whenever a vine- 
yard was planted, to erect such a building as a sort of look- 
out, whence danger from robbers or military incursionists 
could be descried. 

95L Mr. Buckingham says, "I was particularly struck with the 
appearance of several small and detached square towers in the midst of 
vineyards, said by our guide to be used as watch towers, from which 
watchmen looked out to guard the produce of the lands themselves, ev^en 
in the present day," 

952. What is the meaning of the first portion of the 

a 
att. 
xxii. 1-14.) 

The King is God; his Son is Jesus Christ; the marriage 
is the Christian system ; the feast the grace of God and its 

* ''There was a certain householder which planted a vineyard, and 
hedged it round about, and digged a wine-press in it, and built a tower, 
and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 

"And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to 
the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. 

"And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one. and killed 
another, and stoned another. 

"Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did unto 
them likewise. 

"But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will 
reverence my son. 

"But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among them- 
selves. This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his 
inheritance. ' 

"And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew 
him." 

t "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a 
marriage for his son, 

''And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the 
wedding; and they would not come. 



yy^, vv iiuL 16 uic meaning uj inc jii6i poj iwn vj 
parable beginning, ''The kingdom of heaven is lil^e unto a 
certain king which made a marriage for his'son' ?1i (M 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 207 

Parables oi our Savior. 

fruits here and hereafter; his servanU were the prophets, and 
lastly John the Baptist; the one who rvent to his farm, that 
portion who preferred temporal pursuits to religious duties; 
the armies sent were the Romans under Vespasian and Ti- 
tus; the burning of the city, the siege and destruction of 
Jerusalem. 

953. What is the signification of the second portion of 
the same parable?'^ 

The highTva\)s represent the world, which was now 
addressed, and not the Jews only; both bad and good, that 
all kinds of persons, sincere and insincere, would be com- 
prehended in the Church under a profession of Christianity; 
the TDedding garment was the proper disposition of a Chris- 
tian (sincere faith joined to a good life) ; the km§^ inspec- 
tion of the guests, the judgment; the casting out, the final 
punishment of the wicked. 

"Ajjain, he sent other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, 
Behold I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, 
and all things are ready : come unto the marriage. 

"But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, 
another to his merchandize: 

"And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, 
and slew them. 

"But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth; and sent forth 
his armies and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city." 

* "Then saith he to his servants. The wedding is ready, but they 
which were bidden w^ 3 not worthy. 

"Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, 
bid to the marriage. 

"So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together 
all, as many as they found, both bad and good : and the wedding was 
turnished with guests. 

"And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a 
man which had not on a wedding garment. 

"And he saith unto him. Friend, how camest thou in hither, not 
having a wedding garment? and he was speechless. 

"Then said the king to the servants. Bind him hand and foot, and 
take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping 
and gnashing oi teeth. 

"For many are called, but few are chosen." 



208 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

Parables of our Savior. 

954.' Wh];, in the parable of the marriage feast, rvas 
the guest who had not a ''rpedding garment'' cast out into 
outer darkness? 

Because, according to the Eastern ceremonial, each 
guest being amply provided with a supply of appropriate 
clothing at the expense of the giver of the feast, such an 
omission was construed into an open act of contempt. 7 he 
spiritual meaning of this portion of the parable has been 
pointed out. With regard to the Oriental practice, the 
following extract will be useful: — 

955. "The next day, December 3, the king sent to invite the ambassa- 
dors to dine with him once more. The Mehemandar told them that it 
was the custom that they should wear over their own clothes the best 
of those garments which the king had sent them. The ambassadors at 
first made some scruple of that compliance; but when they were told 
that it was a custom observed by all ambassadors, and that no doubt 
the king would take it very ill at their hands if they presented them- 
selves before him without the marks of his liberality, they at last resolved 
to do it, and after their example all the rest of the retinue." — (Abass;^- 
dor's Travels.) 

956. What is the meaning of the parable commencing, 
''A certain man had two sons'' ?^ (Matt. xxi. 28.) 

By the first son is to be understood the Gentiles, as 
also publicans and scandalous sinners; and by the second 
the Jewish people. 

957. This is the opinion of St. Chrysostom. Our Savior wished to 
make the Jews sensible of their own ingratitude, and of the ready 
obedience of the cast-off Gentiles. For they having never heard the 
law nor promised obedience, have still shown their submission by their 
actions; whereas the Jews, after promising to obey the voice of God, had 
neglected the performance. — (Hom. 68.) 

958. What was the lesson intended to be conve'^ed b^ 
the parable of the unjust steward? (Luke xvi.) 

It was meant to exalt the virtue of prudence, and was in 
no way a justification of the means used by that officer to 
provide a remedy for his loss of fortune. 

* "A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first and said. 
Son, go to work to-day in my vineyard. 

"He answered and said, I will not; but afterwards he repented, and 
went. 

"And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered 
and said, I go sir; but went not. 

"Whether of these twain did the will of his father? They say unto 
him, The first. Jesus saith unto them. Verily I say unto you, That the 
publican and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you." 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 209 



Parables of our Savior. 



959. "The lord commended the unjust steward because he had 
done wisely," i. e., being already unjust, he had husbanded his means 
well; so that the latter part at least of his injustice would prove profit- 
able to him by making him friends, who when out of his appointment 
would, in all probability, receive him into their houses. People are 
hereby exhorted to use their justice so that God, who is the rewarder of 
all righteousness, may after this life receive them into "everlasting habita- 
tions." — (De Lyra.) 

960. Wh^ is mone'^ or riches called the *' Mammon of 
unrighteousness*' ? 

Mammon is a Syriac word, signifying riches or wealth; 
the term '^unrighteousness" is affixed to show that money, or 
at least the inordinate love of it, is the fruitful source of all 
evil. 

961. What is the import of the parable of the ten vir- 
gins?"^ (Matt. XXV. 1-13.) 

According to the best commentators it prefigures the end 
of the world. The marriage is the reward of the just in 
heaven; the ten virgins, the world in general, partly wise and 
partly unwise; the cr]) made, the last trumpet of the angel 
summoning to judgment. 

962. "After the final day of judgment," says St. Jerome, "there will be 
no room for prayers. Having received those within its walls who have put 
on in some degree the nature of the angels, the gate to the city of 
bliss will be closed for ever." — (St. Augustine.) 

* "Then, shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, 
which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 

"And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 

"They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them. 

"But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 

"While the brideroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 

"And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom 
Cometh; go ye out to meet him. 

"Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 
"And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil, for our 
lamps are gone out. 

"But the wise answered, saying, Not so, lest there be not enough for 
us and you; but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 

"And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that 
were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 

"Afterward came also the other virgins, saying. Lord, Lord, open 
to us. 

"But he answered and said. Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 

"Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour 
wherein the Son of man cometh." 



210 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Parables of our Savior. 



"When the festivities in the house of the bride's father had ended, 
the bridegroom, attended by his friends, conducted the bride with her 
friends to his own abode. This ceremony took place at night, hence the 
need of the lamps mentioned in Matt. xxv. 1 ; for the bride with her 
companions went forth to meet the bridegroom, and his party came to 
fetch the bride home, where was held what was properly the nuptial 
feast." 




i.:::;::^----^.^;^C>^> 



PERSIAN MARRIAGE CEREMONY. 

A passage in Homer, forming part of the description of the shield of 
Achilles, illustrates this point: — 

"Two cities radiant on the shield appear, 
The image one of peace and"^one of war; 
Here sacred pomp and genial feast delight, 
And solemn dance and hymenial rite: 
Along the street the new-made brides are led 
With torches flaming " 



Respecting the words "watch therefore," St. Augustine says — "How 
can we be always watching, it being necessary for each one to give him- 
self sufficient time to sleep and rest from his many labors? We may 
always keep watching in our hearts by faith, hope, charity, and all other 
good works. But when we awake, like the five wise virgins, we must 
arise and trim our lamps by supplying them with the oil oi piety. 
Then they will not go out, nor will the soothing oil of good con- 
science be wanting to us. Then will the Bridegroom come and introduce 
us to his house, where we shall never need sleep or rest; nor will our 
lamps ever be in danger of going out. Whilst we are in this life we 
labor; and our lamps, blown about by the winds of innumerable tempta- 
tions, are always in danger of being extinguished; but soon <helr fiame 
will become more brilliant, and the temptations we have suffered here 
shall not diminish but increase its luster." — (Serm. 24.) 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 21 I 

St. Mary Magdalene. 

963. Who were the Galileans mentioned in Luke xiii., 
*'n>hose blood Pilate had mingled rvith their sacrifices'' ? 

They are supposed to have been some of the seditious 
followers of Judas the Galilean (or Gaulonite) , who de- 
nied that the Hebrew people could lawfully pay taxes to a 
Gentile government; and it is thought that some of them 
coming to offer up sacrifices in the Temple, were slain by 
Pilate in the midst of the sacred function. 

964. Wh]) did our Lord seem to excuse these unfortu- 
nate fanatics? (Luke v. 3.) 

Because he wished to rebuke those who rashly and un- 
charitably pronounce every misfortune that happens to their 
neighbor to be a judgment upon him. 

965. Wh^ did our Savior say, ''Except ye repent ye 
shall all likeivise (i. e., in a similar manner) perish'* ? 

Because he had in his mind at that moment the fate 
which afterwards actually befell the Jews. 

966. Under the government of Cumanus (a.c. 47-53) 20,000 of them 
were destroyed about the temple. — (Josephus, Antiq. lib. xx. c. 4.) 

967. What is the meaning of the phrase, ''Let your 
loins be girded about" ? (Luke xii. 35.) 

They who travel on foot among the Orientals are 
obliged to fasten their garments at a greater height from their 
feet than they do at other times. 

968. Chardin observes, that "all persons who follow the pedestrian 
mode of traveling always gather up the vest, by which they walk more 
commodiously, having the leg and knee unburdened and disembarrassed 
by the. vest, which they are not when that hangs over them." After this 
manner he supposes the Israelites were prepared for their going out of 
Egypt when they ate the first passover. 

969. Why is Mary Magdalene so called? 

From the town or castle of Magdala, which was situ- 
ated on the lake of Gennesareth, and where she is supposed 
to have been born. 

970. Commentators differ upon the question whether the sister of 
Lazarus and Mary Magdalene, the public sinner, were one and the same 
person: indeed, upon this point the greatest names and authorities are 
at variance. The point is immaterial. Mary Magdalene, whether as the 
sister of Lazarus, and the model of those who preter to sit at Jesus' feet, 
and hear his words, or as a type of the repentant sinner, has always been 



212 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Christ Anointed for his Death. 



a favorite subject of contemplation and hope. In our Lord's last hours 
and at his death, Mary Magdalene was a chief and important witness. She 
stood near the cross with Mary the mother of Jesus. After his death, 
in the same favored company, she *'beheld the place where the body was 
laid; and they returned, and prepared spices and ointments." In reward 
for her loving fidelity, she was the first, according to the gospel nar- 
rative, to whom our Lord vouchsafed the sight of his risen glory, and 
by whom the message of the resurrection was conveyed to "the apostles 
and Peter." According to his promise, the faith of Mary Magdalene is in 
everlasting remembrance, her memory has been embalmed, and conse- 
crated by the veneration of all ages. By some Greek authors she is 
said to have accompanied St. John and the mother of Jesus to Ephesus, 
and to have died there about the year 53. 

971. Wh\) did Mary Magdalene pour ointment upon 
the head of our Savior, while he rvas at the table of Simon 
the leper? (Mark xiv. 3.) 

Because, according to the symbolism of the East, she 
thus expressed, in the most pointed manner, her esteem and 
veneration of the person of Jesus Christ. 



972. While the entertainment was going on, the master of the family, 
to show his respect for the company, and to prevent the hurtful conse- 
quences of indulgence, caused the 
servants in attendance to anoint 
their heads with precious un- 
guents, and perfume the room by 
burning myrrh, frankincense, and 
other odors. Mary did no more 
on this occasion than politeness 
demanded from Simon, but which 
had been omitted by him. The 
balsam was contained in a box 
of alabaster, whose mouth was 
stopped with cotton, upon which 
welted wax was poured so as to 
effectually exclude the air. The 
opening of this stopper or seal 
was, in the figurative language of 
the country, called breaking the 
bottle. 



973. In what rva}) 
could Mar]) Magdalene 
approach the feet of Jesus 
while at table in the Phari- 
see's house, so as to wash them with her tears, and dr"^ them 
with the hair of her head? 

A consideration of the form of the tables, and the man- 
ner of eating at them then prevalent, will make this clear : — 




ALABASTER WARE. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 213 



The Transfiguration of Christ. 



974. The tables oi the ancient Jews, like the Romans, were con- 
structed of three distinct parts, or separate tables, making but one in 
the whole. One was placed at the upper end crossway, and the two 
others joined to its ends, one on each side, so as to leave an open 
space between them, by which the attendants could readily wait at all 
the three. Round these tables were placed not seats, but beds, one to 
each table. Each of these beds was called clinium, and three of these 
being united to surround the three tables made the triclinium. At the 
end of each clinium was a footstool, for the convenience of mounting up 
to it. These beds were formed of mattresses, and were supported on 
frames of wood, often highly ornamented. Each guest reclined on his 
left elbow, using principally his right hand, which was therefore kept 
at liberty. The feet of the person reclining being towards the external edge 
of the bed, were much more readily reached by anybody passing than 
any other part. 

975. Why did our Savior commend the behavior of 
Mary Magdalene, and blame that of the Pharisee? 

Because she had as far exceeded in fervor the courte- 
sies usually shown to a guest as he had fallen short of them. 

976. The first ceremony after the guests arrived at the house of 
entertainment was the salutation performed by the master of the house, 
or one appointed in his place. Among the Greeks this was sometimes 
done by embracing; but the most common salutation was by the con- 
junction of the right hand (as with us at the present day) ; grasping the 
right hand being reckoned a pledge of fidelity and friendship. Some- 
times they kissed the lips, hands, knees, or feet, as the person deserved 
more or less respect. The Jews welcomed a stranger to their house in 
the same way, for our Lord complains to Simon that he had given 
him no kiss, had welcomed him to his table with none of the accustomed 
tokens of respect. — (Paxton.) 

977. Why Tvas our Savior transfigured upon Mount 
Tabor? 

1 . Because a visible manifestation was thus given to the 
three leading apostles, of the Divinity of Jesus Christ. 2. 
Because thus the Mosaical and the Prophetical systems were 
shown to have terminated, and to be merged in that of the 
New Testament. 3. Because the transfiguration, from its 
glorious and consoling character, was necessary to fortify 
the drooping hearts of Christ's followers. 

978. The transfiguration holds a 'middle place between the tempta- 
tion and the resurrection of our Lord, being one of the three great 
events which in a marked manner illustrate the development of the 
gospel on earth, and the disclosure of the majesty of its divine pro- 
mulgator. 

This event is to be considered — 1. As a solemn confirmation of the 
prophetic office of^ Christ. 2. As designed to support the faith of the 
disciples which was to be deeply tried by his approaching humiliations, 
and to afford consolation to the human nature of our Lord himself, by 



214 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. 



giving him a foretaste of "the joy set before him." 3. As an emblem of 
humanity glorified at the resurrection. 4. As declaring Christ to be 
superior to Moses and Elias, the giver and the restorer of the law. 
5. As an evidence to the disciples of the existence of a separate state, 
in which good men consciously enjoy the felicity of heaven. 6. As a 
proof that the bodies of good men shall be so refined and changed, as, 
like Elias, to live in a state of immortality, and in the presence of God. 
7. As exhibiting the sympathy which exists between the church in heaven 
and the church on earth, and the instruction which the former receives 
from the events which take place in the latter. Moses and Elias con- 
versed with our Lord on his approaching death, doubtless to receive, not 
to convey information. 8. As maintaining the grand distinction, the 
infinite difference, between Christ and the prophets. He is *'the Son." 
"This is my beloved Son, hear him." It has been observed with much 
truth, that the condition in which Jesus Christ appeared among men, 
humble, meek, poor, and despised, was a true and continual transfigura- 
tion; whereas the transfiguration itself, in which he showed himself in 
the real splendor of his glory, was his true and natural condition. 
— (Watson.) 

979. Why did the multitude carry palm branches he- 
fore our Savior when he rode into Jerusalem? 

Because the palm was the emblem of victory. 

980. The fickle people who were so soon afterwards to cry out 
against Jesus, "Not this man, but Barabbas ! Crucify him! Crucify 
him!" regarded him on the present occasion as a real conqueror. He 
had worked miracles — he had shown himself possessed of a power no 
less than divine. They would now take him by force and make him a 
king. At least such a king as befitted their earthly and grovelling 
instincts. 

The ancient writers, among whom are Plutarch, assign as the reason 
why palm branches became emblems of triumph, the fact, that it is a 
natural property of the palm to rise up against pressure. The blessed 
in heaven (Rev. vii. 9) are represented as standing before the throne 
with white robes and palms in their hands. 

The triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem from Bethany 
was on the first day of the week, answering to our Sunday, the very day 
on which, by the appointment of the law (Exod. xii. 3), the lamb was 
brought thither to be sacrificed at the passover. This was to show by 
another instance how in him all the figures of the law were fulfilled. 

981. Why did Jesus Christ ride into Jerusalem upon a 
colt? 

As a token of humility, and to fulfill the words of proph- 
ecy. (Zech. ix. 9.) 

982. The colt, which as yet had not been used, sig.iified the 
Gentiles, to whom God had hitherto given no written law as he had done 
to the Jews; but who were now to bear the sweet burden of Christ. 
The prophecy of Zechariah was thus fulfilled to the very letter. By 
the order which Jesus Christ gave to his apostles to procure the colt 
he showed, 1, his omniscience; 2, his supreme dominion. He knew 
what was going on in the village of Bethany, although at some distance 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 215 



Meaning of "Hosanna," "Alleluiah," etc. 



from it. Ha tells his disciples that the colt will be given to them upon 
their pronouncing his name, and saying, "The Lord hath need of him." 

983. What is the meaning of the rvorJ Alleluiah, or 
Hallelujah? 

It signifies **praise to God,*' or **praise ye the Lord;** 
and is derived, through the Greek, from the Hebrew. 

984. The word occurs in its original elements in several psalms — 
as Ps. cxlviii., cxlix., and cl., each of which it commences and termi- 
nates. From its frequent occurence in this way, it grew into a formula 
of praise and thanksgiving, and was chanted as such on solemn days 
of rejoicing. 

985. What is the meaning of ''Hosanna' ? 

It is a form of acclamatory blessing, or wishing well, 
which signifies, **Save now,'* '*Succor now,'* *'Be now pro- 
pitious.** 

986. When the Jews saluted our Lord's entrance into their city 
with hosannas, they meant to say, "Lord preserve this son of David, 
heap favors and blessings on him!" They were accustomed to use the 
word in the Feast of Tabernacles, and this association led them upon the 
present occasion to strew branches upon the ground before our Lord. 

987. Wh"^ rvas the name ''Son of David'* hateful to the 
Romans? 

Because it was notorious to that people that the Jews 
looked for the advent of a great personage who, under some 
such title, should deliver them from the yoke of the heathen; 
so that there was rebellion in the very name that he pro- 
claimed. 

988. It is easy to imagine also with what expressions of derision 
the announcement would have been subsequently received by the wits 
and philosophers of Rome, that twelve poor fishermen of Judea had 
resolved to change the laws and customs, the philosophy, and the religion 
of the Roman empire. What a miserable plot it would have been 
thought, and one that it was impossible could ever succeed. We, how- 
ever, who live in these later times, have the happiness to know that 
while the religion of the "Son of David" has spread over, and lives in- 
every part of the globe, the heathen empire of Rome has utterly vanished. 

989. Wh^ TPas the high priest Caiaphas able to utter the 
true prophecy, "It is expedient that one man die for the peo- 
ple, and that the whole nation perish not'' ? (John xi. 50.) 

Because he had the prophetical gift in virtue of his "or- 
der," or office as high priest, to which it was annexed. 



216 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



The Barren Fig Tree. 



990. The gift of prophecy does not make a man acceptable to God 
apart from his personal character. It is supposed that Gaiaphas exer- 
cised the sacrificial office alternately with his father-in-law Annas. 
(Luke iii. 2.) 

99! . Wh^ is it said of the Jems that ''Cod had blinded 
their epes that the^ should not see*' ? (John xii. 40.) 

The meaning is, that as a punishment for their innumera- 
ble treasons against him, God had withdrawn his grace from 
them and left them to the natural blindness of their own 
hearts. 

992. "They could not believe because they would not. For as it 
is the glory of the will of God that it cannot be averse to its own 
glory, so it is the fault of the will of man that it cannot believe." — (St. 
Augustine.) 

993. Wh^ did Jesus Christ pronounce a curse upon the 
barren fig-tree? (Matt. xxi. 19.) 

St. Chrysostom thus expounds the passage in which it 
occurs : — 

994. "By the fig-tree was represented the Jewish synagogue; the 
hunger of Christ was a figure of his extreme desire of finding it pro- 
ductive of good works answerable to the pains he had taken for more 
than three years. The leaves were their pompous show of exterior 
service, the barren foliage of legal rites void of the internal spirit and 
good works, the only valuable produce of the tree. By the withering of 
the tree subsequent to Christ's imprecation, the reprobation and utter 
barrenness of the synagogue are represented. Our Savior had no enmltv 
to the tree. It was an occasion to him to show that although he had 
often exercised his miraculous powers for the benefit of the Jewish 
people, he could also threaten and punish." — (St. Chrys. Hom. 68.) 

995. Wh}) did our Savior sa^, ''In my Father s house 
are many mansions'' ? (John xiv. 2.) 

To inform us that in heaven (his Father's house) there 
were prepared different degrees of happiness and glory, for 
the different orders of saints. 

996. Why did our Savior say, in reply to the request 
of Philip to be shorvn the Father, "He that hath seen me 
hath seen the Father" ? (John xiv. 9.) 

Because he thus declared his equality with the Father 
as God. 

997. As if he had said, "When you see me, you see not a man only, 
but God. equal to the Father in all things." — (St, Chrysostom and St. 
Cyril.) 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 217 

Last Admonitions of Christ. 

998. Wh}) did Jesus Christ promise his apostles that 
the miracles they should after his ascension perform should 
be greater than those he had on earth performed ? (John 
xiv. 12.) 

Because, his visible presence being withdrawn from 
them, they would require a larger degree of the miracle- 
working power in order to convince the unbelieving world of 
the divinity of their message. 

999. Why did our Savior, being equal to the Father 
in all perfections, say, *'the Father is greater than V ? (John 
xiv. 28.) 

Because, although as God he was equal, as man, being 
clothed with the infirmity of mortal flesh and bearing the 
penalty of man's transgression, he was less than the Father. 

1 000. Why did Jesus Christ speak of his peeping the 
commandments of his Father, if he Tvas equal to him as Cod? 
(John XV. 10.) 

Because he was here speaking of himself as man, and 
setting us an example that we must not only believe in God 
but keep his commandments. 

1001. This the tenth verse expresses thus: — "If ye keep my com- 
mandments ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's 
commandments and abide in his love." Here we naturally infer two 
things: — 1. That Jesus Christ as God has the power of imposing com- 
mandments. 2. As Christians we prove our love to Christ by keeping 
them, 

1002. Why did our Savior say, *'A little while, and 
ye shall not see me; and again a little Tvhile, and ye shall 
see me'* ? (John xvi. 16.) 

The meaning is : After a little while — only a few hours 
— since these words were spoken during the last week of his 
earthly life — Jesus would be taken from them by death, 
and after three days they should again see him — at his 
resurrection. He would after that remain with them some 
few weeks, and then would ascend to the Father. 

1003. Some writers interpret the passage thus : — "After a few short 
days you shall see me depart to the Father; again after a little while, 
alter the troubles of this life, here called "a little while," you shall 



218 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

Preparations for the Last Supper. 



be reunited to me in the kingdom of my Father, whither 1 go in order 
to prepare you a place." 

1 004. Wh^ did our Savior, previous to his passion,'^ 
admonish the people to folloTv the good doctrine, and to 
abide fc\? the authority of the Pharisees Tvhile they eschewed 
their had example? (Matt, xxiii.) 

He did so lest anything he had said against the evil 
lives of the Jewish leaders should be understood to throw 
discredit upon the '*chair of Moses," or the official character 
which, as teachers and expounders of the law, the scribes 
and Pharisees inherited. 

1005. The obvious inference is, that ministers in authority are not 
to be despised when they teach, because, through the frailty of human 
nature, they may sometimes or even habitually contradict their teaching 
by an unworthy life. 

1 006. Wh'^ rvere the disciples directed to procure (for 
the paschal supper) a large upper room furnished? 

This question is best answered by showing the arrange- 
ment of an Eastern house which was in most instances as 
follows : — 

1007. The lower floor was occupied as a store. Here were deposited 
the provisions, corn, fruit, oil, etc., necessary for the household. The 
drippings from the jars, and the odor from the fruits, rendered this 
portion uninhabitable except by the mules and other cattle which be- 
longed to the family. The floor above this was that used for the ordinary 
purposes of living. Here cooking, eating, and general domestic life took 
place. Above this the upper room was situated; and in this portion all 
the splendor of which the possessor was capable was exhibited. The 
room is both higher and larger than those below. It generally had wide 
projecting windows, and the floor was so much extended in front beyond 
the lower part of the building, that the projecting windows considerably 
overhung the street. In such an upper room, secluded, spacious, and 

* By the word ''passion" is understood the great accumulation of 
vicarious suffering borne by our Lord, in what is known as the Holy 
Week, or the week including the Sunday on which he rode tri- 
umphantly into Jerusalem^ and ending with Good Friday, when he 
expired upon the cross. In the "Litany" used in the Established Church 
of England, the petition, "By thy cross and passion'* occurs; and in a 
note to Dr. Mant's edition of the Common Prayer, upon that petition, 
is the following: — "The ancient Fathers of the Greek Church, in their 
Litany, after they had recounted all the particular pains in Christ's pas- 
sion, as they are set down in the four gospels, and by all and every 
one called for mercy and deliverance, as here we do, added after all, 
and shut up all with this petition, 'By thine unknown sorrows and suffer- 
ings, good Lord have mercy upon us. save and deliver us;' for he felt 
more of them than we know, or can distinctly express." 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 219 



The Last, or Lord's Supper. 



commodious, the Lord's Supper was instituted; and in a similar one 
St. Paul preached that parting discourse, at which Eutychus, overcome 
by heat and drowsiness, fell asleep, and falling down from above, was 
taken up dead. (Acts xx. 9.) 

1 008. Wh]) did our Savior, in sending his disciples to 
prepare the supper -room, sa^, ''M]) time is at hand'' ? 

Because such was the common expression used to denote 
the near approach of a person's death. 

1009. Jesus Christ, in all his discourses with his disciples or to the 
people, adopts the common phraseology of the Hebrews. With them it 
was customary to consider that man's life had a certain alloted span, 
which admitted neither of extension or abridgment. Consequently his 
life was "a time," and the hour of death its inevitable termination. 

At the command of Jesus, the apostles go and engage a room for 
the celebration of the paschal rites. If anything was wanting to confirm 
them in their belief in the divine character of their Lord, his conduct 
on this occasion might well have supplied it. Ihey are told to proceed 
towards Jerusalem. When they had reached it, as they entered its 
gates, they should meet a man bearing a pitcher of water. They were 
to follow this person until they saw him enter a certain house. They 
were then to accost him in these words : — **The Master saith unto thee, 
Where is the guest's chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my 
disciples?" 

In all probability this man was a perfect stranger to the apostles, 
and except by fame knew nothing of Jesus Christ. He has a house, 
and therein a certain room — honored in this instance above all human 
habitations — in which the Master desires to eat the passover. At once, 
without hesitation, he submits to the request, or rather the demand, 
made upon him by the apostles, and yields possession. "And they 
made ready the passover." 

1010. Wh^ is the Last, or Lord's Supper so called? 
Because it was instituted by Christ, as the last act of his 

ministry, in company with the apostles, after he had supped 
with them, and immediately before he went out to be deliv- 
ered into the hands of his enemies. 

1011. Jesus having fulfilled the law of Moses, to which in all things 
he submitted, by eating the paschal supper with the twelve, proceeded 
to institute a rite, which, to any person that reads the words of the 
institution, without having formed a previous opinion upon the subject, 
will appear to have been intended by him as a memorial of that event 
which was to happen not many hours after (Luke xxii. 19), and was 
meant to be observed by all Christians to the end of the world. 

"As often as ye eat of this bread and drink of this cup, ye shall 
show the Lord's death till he come," 1 Cor. xi. 23-26. In these words 
St. Paul adds his testimony to the obligation and perpetuity of the 
observance. 



220 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

Origign of the word Sacrament. 

1012. Wh}) did our Savior, previous to the institution 
of the Lord's Supper, Tvash his disciples' feet? (Luke xiii. 5.) 

1 . As an act of humility. It was an exemplification of 
his own precept, '*He that is greatest among you let him be 
the minister.*' 2. To show that cleanness of heart was nec- 
essary as a preparation for the reception of the sacrament. 

1013. Wh]) did St, Peter object to our Lord's perform- 
ing such an act of humility towards him? 

Because, failing to perceive its hidden meaning, he 
thought the act derogatory to the dignity of Jesus Christ. 

1014. Although the most ardent and generous-minded of the apostles, 
St. Peter was undoubtedly the humblest. 

1015. Wh}) did Jesus, before instituting the Lord's sup- 
per, take the cup, and give thanks, sa})ing, ''Take this, and 
divide it among yourselves" ? (Luke xxii. 1 7.) 

Because it was the custom with the master of the feast 
to take such a cup, to bless it with ceremony, then drink of it, 
and pass it to the guests. 

1016. The modern Jews still observe this custom, not only at the 
passover, but on all other great feasts. The father of the family pours 
wine into a cup, takes it in his right hand, elevates it, blesses it, tastes, 
and gives it round to the invited. Our Savior, on the occasion in 
question, complied with the ordinary custom. 

1017. Wh'^ did our Savior add to the above words, 
''For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine 
until the ki^§dom of God shall come" ? 

He intimated that from that moment until his resurrection 
he would not do so; that he did so afterwards is probable 
from Acts X. 4 1 . 

1018. Why was the Lord's Supper called by the name 
of a sacrament? 

From the very nature of the rite, which, in its primitive 
form, was a solemn pledge of fidelity made to the person 
instituting it. 

1019. The word sacrament is derived from sacramento, a Latin 
word, the name of an oath of unlimited obedience to the general and 
fidelity to the standard, administered by the tribunes to the legionaries 
of the Roman army. * 

The Church of England definition of a sacrament is found in the 
Catechism, thus stated: — "An outward and visible sign of an inward and 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 22 

Meaning of the Sacrament. 



spiritual grace given unto us, ordained by Christ himself, as a means 
whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof." 

The Roman Catholic definition is as follows: — "A sacrament is an 
outward sign of inward grace, or a sacred and mysterious sign or 
ceremony ordained by Christ, by which grace is conveyed to our souls." 
— (Catechism, Permissu superiorum.) 

Among those professing Christianity who belong to neither of the 
above communions, a different sense is put upon the word sacrament. 
With such, a sacrament is an external rite designed to represent what 
is spiritual and invisible, to be used as a means, like the reading of 
the Scriptures, or the frequenting of a place of worship, for purposes 
of moral improvement. It is universally agreed that a sacrament is 
something external, containing, either subjectively or objectively, some 
other thing of an internal or moral nature, and that it should have been 
instituted by Christ or by the apostles. Of the sacraments Protestants 
admit two. Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Roman Catholics and Greeks 
seven, viz., 1. Baptism; 2. Penance (or Confession); 3. Eucharist (Lord's 
Supper); 4. Confirmation; 5. Extreme Unction (Anointing the Sick); 
6. Holy Orders; 7. Matrimony. 

I 020. Wh"^ have disputes arisen among Christians rvith 
reference to the words of institution used fcp Christ at the 
*'last supper'' ? 

Because of the different interpretation put upon them by 
different sections of the church — one section preferring the 
Hteral and grammatical sense, and another the figurative 
sense. 

102L These divisions are thus stated: — The literal sense of the 
words, "This is my body," "This is my blood" (Mark xiv. 22-24), 
is adopted by the Roman Catholic, the Greek, and a portion of the 
English Established communions. The symbolical, or figurative sense, 
is held by the German Reformed- Churches, the Genevese Confession, the 
Low Church or Evangelical party (forming the great majority of the 
Church of England), and the whole body of Protestants. 

1 022. What is the difference hetrpeen the literal and the 
figurative sense of these words? 

By the hteral sense, those who hold it understand that 
in the Lord's supper the body and blood of Christ are in 
some mysterious way actually received; by the figurative 
sense it is understood that the presence of Christ in the sacra- 
ment is not actual or real, but symbolical only. 

1023. Why did our Savior, while seated at table rvith 
his apostles during the Last Supper, speak of one of them 
being about to betra}) him? 

1 . Because this would be another proof to them of his 
divine foreknowledge; and 2, because thus an opportunity 



222 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 33. — Conclusion of the Last Supper. 

was given to Judas to repent of, and abandon, his contem- 
plated treason. 

1024. Wh^ did Judas ask, ^ith the rest of the apos- 
tles^'Isitr? 

Because for a moment, being ashamed of his treachery, 
he sought to conceal it by a hypocritical show of innocence. 

1025. Jesus had previously pointed him out in those words, "He 
that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me." 
And here it may be well to remark the striking fulfillment of prophecy. 
It had been said in Psalm xli. 9, "Yea, mine own familiar friend, in 
whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heal 
against me." 

1 026. What is the meaning of ''he that dippeth his hand 
Tvith me in the dish,'' as applied h^ our Lord to Judas? 

It was the custom at that time to eat with the hands 
only, and without the assistance of forks, which were not 
introduced till many centuries after. 

1027. IVh^ is it said h^ the evangelist (St. Luke xxii. 
3), that Satan now entered the heart of Judas Iscariot? 

Because, having rejected the opportunity of repentance 
offered him by his Master, he gave himself up to the power 
of the fiend. 

1 028. IVh]) did our Lord and his apostles sing a h^mn 
previous to the conclusion of the Last Supper? 

Because such a practice formed part of the paschal 
solemnities among the Jews, which Christ and his followers 
were strict in maintaining up to the moment of their abo- 
lition. 

1029. The hymn which was sung is generally supposed to have 
been the latter part of the "Hallel/' or series of psalms prescribed by 
the ritual of the period, viz.. Psalms cxiii. to cxviii., the first two being 
sung before, and the other four after the passover. 

From this precedent and the precept of the apostle (Eph. v. 19, 

etc.), "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual 

songs," the systems of hymnology at present in use with the Christian 
churches took their rise. 

1030. What Tvas the situation of Gethsemane? 
It was adjatent to Jerusalem, on the east side, over the 
brook Kidron, and at the foot of the Mount of Olives. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 223 

A.C. 33. — The Agony in the Garden. 



1031. The term Gethsemane means "garden of olives." The place 
was a small plot, or enclosure, occupying part of a level space between 
the brook Kidron and the foot of the mount. The place, as now 
pointed out. corresponds in every particular with all the conditions of 
the Scripture narrative. It is about fifty paces square, and is enclosed 
by a wall of no great height, formed of rough loose stones. Eight 
very ancient olive-trees now occupy this enclosure, some of which are 
of a very large size, and all exhibit symptoms of decay, clearly denoting 
their great age. The garden at present belongs to one of the monastic 
establishments, by the members of which some young trees have been 
planted to supply the places of those which have disappeared. 

1032. Wh^ did our Lord, during his agon^ in the 
garden, become ''exceedingly sorrowful even unto death'*? 

The cause of his grief was not the fear of suffering, 
since he took upon himself human nature to suffer and to 
die for us; but the cause of his grief was the unhappy state 
of Judas, the scandal his disciples would take at his passion, 
the reprobation of the Jewish nation, and the destruction of 
the miserable city of Jerusalem. 

1 033. Why did our Lord pray that the cup of his suf- 
ferings might pass from him? 

Because there was in the person of Jesus Christ two dis- 
tinct natures — that of God, and that of man. While the 
former could not suffer, the latter was amenable to human 
anguish under the influence of which our Savior thus 
prayed. 

1034. A commentator says: — "Christ our Redeemer was truly God, 
and as truly man. And being 'made man' by a real union of his divine 
person and nature to our weak and infirm human nature, he likewise 
took upon him our infirmities, sin excepted. We must consider him as 
man when we read of his being tempted in the wilderness; when he 
wept at the grave of Lazarus; as often as we read of his praying, and 
redoubling his prayer, as in the garden; when we find him afFected 
with fear, sadness, and grief; for though, as God, he could prevent and 
hinder these passions and affections natural to man, yet he could permit 
them to touch his human nature. As he permitted himself to be seized 
with hunger after fasting forty days, so he permitted his human nature 
to be seized with fear and grief in the garden of Gethsemane. 

1035. Why did the chief priests and the captains (i. e., 
the Romans) covenant with Judas to betray Jesus? 

Because, although they might easily have apprehended 
him openly in the day-time, they feared to do so, the people 
being greatly divided in opinion as to the character of our 
Lord and likely to interfere in his behalf. 



224 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

" M l 1 

A.C. 33. — Betrayel of Christ by Judas. , 

■ 

1036. The Jews and Roman governor were equally in dread of a 
tumult. The former, consistently with their practice of straining at gnats 
and swallowing camels, wished to keep themselves legally clean for the 
Passover, while they were equally desirous of crucifying Jesus as a 
preliminary to its celebration. The latter was anxious to have the prov- 
ince under his care in a well-ordered state, as upon his behavior and the 
prosperity of the country his hopes of a "triumph" at headquarters 
entirely depended. This was why the Jews and ''captains'' (Luke xxii. 
4) "sought opportunity to betray him in the absence of the multitude." 

1037. Wh}; did the ''hand'' who arrested our Savior 
carry lanterns? 

Because the situation of the garden, in the deep ravines 
on the western side of OHvet, was such, that ahhough the 
full moon (at the Passover) shone, its rays would not reach 
the spot so as to enable them to distinguish objects clearly 
without their assistance. 

1038. Lanterns and torches formed part of the equipment of soldiers 
in marches and attacks by night. Illustrations of this fact are pre- 
seirted by the remains of the Egyptian monuments. 

1039. Who rvas Pontius Pilate? 

He was the fifth Roman procurator or governor of Ju- 
dea, successor of Valerius Gratus, and was appointed to his 
office by the Emperor Tiberius, in the thirteenth year of his 
reign (a.d. 28). 

1 040. Why did our Savior, in reply to the question of 
the high priest whether he was the Son of Cod (Matt. xxvi. 
64), reply, '*Thou hast said,'* instead of *'Yes" or *'No'* ? 

Because the former was the usual mode of delivering an 
answer in the affirmative. 

1041. The formula of assent or affirmation was as follows: — "Thou 
hast said," or "Thou hast rightly said." We are informed by the trav- 
eler Arida that this is the prevailing mode of a person's expressing his 
assent or affirmation to this day in the vicinity of Mount Lebanon, 
especially when he does not wish to assert anything in express terms. 
It was not in the ordinary course of our Lord's practice to proclaim his 
own dignity, especially before sinners. He had cautioned his. followers 
not to throw pearls before swine. 

1042. Why did Peter deny Christ? 
Because he was entirely overcome by his fears and the 
horror of the situation, when he saw his Master a prisoner in 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 225 

A.C. 33. — Jesus Led before Pilate. 

the hands of his enemies, and the whole of his followers, 
excepting two or three persons, dispersed. 

1043. Peter's deniBl was the act of his lips, an act to which his 
heart was in no way accessory. While he disclaimed a knowledge ot 
hiif Divine Master, his whole soul was torn by a sense of the treason 
that he was committing; accordingly he went out after the third denial 
"and wept bitterly." This weeping for his fault would appear to have 
remained a characteristic of St. Peter. He has been chosen as the New 
Testament model of penitents, and a ''tradition informs us that during 
the remainder of his mortal career his tears would flow whenever he 
heard the crowing of a cock. 

1 044. Wh^ did our Lord allude to the cock crorving in 
his prophetical declaration to St, Peter? 

Because of the method in use among the ancients, and 
especially the Romans, of dividing the night into periods, 
two of which latter were marked as *'the first" and **second 
cock-crowing.'* 

1045. The periods of the night were thus distinguished : — Media nox 
(or midnight) was the end of one and the beginning of another day; 
tnediss noctes inclinatio was about the time alluded to in "Macbeth :" — 

*' Macbeth. What is the n^ght? 

*'Lady Macbeth. Almost at odds with morning which is which'^ — 

when only the most northern stars are seen revolving; gallicinium, cock- 
crowing; conti&inium, when they give over crowing. Thus the two 
cock-c^cowings were understood, and hence the expression, "Before the 
cock crow twice thou shaft deny me thrice." (Mark xiv. 30.) 

1046. Wh"^ rvas our Lord taken before Pilate, the 
Roman governor.^ 

Jesus having been betrayed, apprehended, and found 
guilty of blasphemy by the Jewish Sanhedrim, was delivered 
to Pilate, in order to undergo the punishment of death, 
according to the law in that case provided. 

1047. Wh]) did not the Jews themselves put Jesus to 
death as the^ had the rvill to do ? 

Because the power of life and death had been taken 
from them by their Roman masters. 



226 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



A.C. 33.— The Potters' Field Purchased. 



1 048. What is the meaning of the word '*Cabbatha'' or 
*'Lithostrotos,'' the name given to Pilate's hall of judgment? 

It signifies literally '*stone-paved," is an adjective, but is 
applied substantively by Greek w^riters to denote a platform 
of stone. 

1049. This stone pavement was a trifling but not insignificant link 
in the chain of the Jewish subjection to their heathen masters. It was 
a favorite mode of decoration with the Roman people, and Suetonius 
relates that Julius Caesar even in his military expeditions took with him 
the materials of tesselated pavements ready prepared, that wherever he 
encamped they might be laid down in the praetorium. Hence it has been 
inferred that the Gabbatha had a tesselated pavement. That it was a 
roofless hall or court appears from the passage (John xviii. 29), "Then 
Pilate went out unto them" (the Jews), who, for ceremonial reasons, 
did not choose to expose themselves to too close a contact with the 
governor. 

1050. Wh^ was the '* Aceldama,'' or ''potters' field," 
purchased with the thirty pieces of silver, which Judas, in his 
despair, returned to his employers, the Jewish priests? 

1 . Because this field was an exhausted quarry of ful- 
ler's earth, no longer of use for its original purpose, and, 





JEWISH SHEKEL. 



therefore, to be easily purchased. 2. Because the still ex- 
tant properties of the soil were good for rapidly decomposing 
bodies deposited therein. 3. Because the Jews were forced 
blindly, or in spite of themselves, to fulfill the word of the 
prophecy even to the very letter. (Refer to Zech. xi. 
12. 13.) 

105L The potters' field was called Aceldama, or Hokeldema, or 
the. field oj blood, because purchased with blood-money. It was used 
to bury those who as strangers could have no entrance into the ceme- 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 227 

A.C. 33. — Jesus is Scourged. 

teries of the Jews. Being filled with hatred and revenge against Jesus 
Christ, it would be absurd to suppose that they did this with a 
charitable motive, "to bury strangers." Their intention, according to 
St. Jerome, was to disgrace Jesus, by thus keeping alive in the minds 
of the people that he was sold by one of his own disciples and delivered 
up to an ignominious death. The piece of land was of small value, 
having been exhausted in making pottery ware. There still remains on 
the spot a charnel house. In the middle ages the remains of its soil 
used to be transported to Italy, in order to its being spread over 
newly-formed cemeteries. This was the case at Pisa. 

1052. Wh^ did Pilate, who entertained no hatred per- 
sonally towards our Lord, deliver him to the soldiers to he 
scourged? 

1 . Because it was part of the usual mode of procedure, 
that, when a criminal was condemned to the cross, he should 
previously suffer the penalty of scourging. 2. Because he 
wished, by this apparent severity, to soften the minds of the 
Jews towards Jesu5, and induce them to consent to his 
liberation. 

1053. Wh]) did he soldiers mock Jesus, putting a scar- 
let cloak upon him, a reed in his hand, and a croTvn of 
thorns upon his head? 

Because, belonging to the basest dregs of humanity, and 
hearing that Jesus had been condemned as an aspirant to 
kingly honors, they thought to curry favor with the Jews 
by a burlesque of the ceremony of coronation. 

This mocking of a person condemned to death for alleged treasonable 
acts, was a very common practice in the East, and obtains to the pres- 
ent day among the Persians. Morier says: — "Mohammed Zemaun Khan 
was carried before the king. When he had reached the camp the king 
ordered Mohammed Khan, chief of his camel artillery, to put a mock 
crown upon the rebel's head, bazubends, or armlets on his arms, a 
sword by his side, to mount him upon an ass with his face towards the 
tail, then to parade him throughout the camp and to exclaim, 'This is 
he who wanted to be the king.* After this was over, and the people 
had mocked and insulted him, he was led before the king, who called for 
his looties and ordered them to turn him into ridicule by making him 
dance and make antics against his will. He then ordered that whoever 
chose might spit in his face. After this he received the bastinado on the 
soles of his feet." How terribly does this scene recall the mockings ol 
our Lord! 

1 054. Why did the Jews spit in our Lord's face during 
his humiliation? 

Because it was an act of thorough contumely — a punish- 
ment which, in their opinion, carried with it a lasting dis- 
grace. 



228 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 33. — Pilate Condemns Jesus to Death. 



1055. Like all their other acts it the more truly stamped the 
character and identity of the Messiah who was to come. This very act, 
wicked as it was, had been foreshown as one that should be permitted 
against his person (see Isaiah 1. 6), "I hid not my face from shame 
and spitting." The act of spitting, even upon the ground, was con- 
sidered insulting by many Eastern nations — how much more the spitting 
in the face. 

1056. Wh^ was our Lord sent fcj; Pilate bound to 
Herod? 

Because, he was very desirous to rid himself of the 
odious task of condemning and punishing Jesus, and thought 
that he had thus found a ready means of doing so. 

1057. Pilate eagerly caught at the fact that Jesus was a Galilean, 
and consequently a subject of Herod's. The Roman law strictly prohibited 
a man's being tried or punished by any other than his proper ruler. 

1058. Wh did Herod mock Jesus? 

Because, so far from regarding him as a character dan- 
gerous to the state, or Hkely to subvert it, he mistook oui 
Lord's meekness for imbeciHty. 

1059. This very meekness, however, had been pointed out by the 
prophet in that well-known passage, "He was led as a sheep to the 
slaughter; and as a lamb is dumb before its shearer, so opened he 
not his mouth." 

1 060. Wh^ did Pilate, parti}) against his oTvn inclina- 
tion, condemn Jesus to death? 

Because he was actuated by a motive of self-preserva- 
tion, being afraid as much of a rebellion of the Jews, incited 
by their priests, as of their representing him to Caesar as one 
disaffected to the imperial rule. 

1 061 . Wh^ did the act of sending Jesus to Herod have 
the effect of reconciling the latter Jvith Pilate? 

Because Herod took it as a compliment on the part of 
Pilate, and was greatly pleased that the Roman governor 
should respect his (Herod's) territorial perogatives. 

1062. There were special reasons why Herod should be pleased with 
. the conduct of Pilate. The former, a weak but ambitious prince, stood 

then greatly in need of the countenance of the powerful Roman soldier. 
His guilty connection with Herodias had involved him in a network 
oi intrigues and plots laid for his destruction. Moreover, urged on by 
Herodias, he aimed at an extension of his territorial power. Some time 
after these events he was induced to visit Rome, and to solicit from 
the Emperor Caligula the title of King of Judea. Doubtless he felt the 
importance of securing the friendship of Pilate, and this may have been 
at the root of the motives which induced the reconciliation. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 229 

A.C. 33. — The Carriage of the Cross. 

1063. Wh}) was the murderer Barabbas released? 
Without any sanction on the part of the law, it had 

grown customary for the governor to release a prisoner at the 
Feast of the Passover. Pilate, in his conviction of the inno- 
cence of Jesus, wished to throw his death on others, and, 
therefore, gave the people the option of the life of Barabbas 
or that of Christ. 

1064. Instigated by the priests and their own vile passions, they 
saved the, murderer, and demanded the execution of our Lord. Should 
it be worth asking, Who was Barabbas? it may be sufficient to say that 
he formed one of a class of bravos, or dagger-men, who, availing them- 
selves of the unsettled state of Judea, lived under the name of Sicarii, 
in a state of guerilla warfare, which they carried on under various 
pretexts, both against the Romans and their own countrymen. 

1 065. Wh^ is Jesus Christ represented by St, Matthew 
as carry^ing his own cross, whie St, John describes its carriage 
fcp one Simon, a man of Cy^rene? 

Because of the different nature of the accounts received 
of these facts by the two evangelists. The former repre- 
sents what took place at the commencement of this dolorous 
procession, when the cross was undoubtedly laid upon Jesus. 
The latter relates what he saw, when Jesus having fallen 
more than once beneath its load, the man of Cyrene was 
impressed by the guard and made to assist in the carriage 
of the cross. 

1066. St. Luke says (xxiii. 26), 'They laid hold upon one Simon, 
a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross 
that he might bear it after Jesus." Whether it was that they made 
Simon carry the whole cross, or whether he only bore it up behind is 
not expressed. 

1067. Wh\) did our Lord bid the pious women who 
followed him on his way to Calvary weeping, **to weep for 
themselves and for their children* ? 

Because he foresaw that within the lifetime of many of 
them those dreadful events would come to pass connected 
with the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. 

1068. Christians are not forbidden by this text to weep in com- 
passion for the sufferings of Christ; but they are not to let those suffer- 
ings cause them to forget the end for which they were undertaken, namely 
the salvation of human souls. — (Calmet.) 



230 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



A.C. 33. — The Crucifixion-. 



1069. Wh}) Was the mount, or mound, of Calvary so 
designated ? 

Because the Latin word Calvaria (in English Calvary, 
in Greek Kranion, and in Hebrew Golgotha) signified **the 
place of a skull"; and the spot was marked by the frequent 




THE CRUCIFIXION, 



presence of that sign and emblem of the many malefactors 
who had been decapitated there. (Upon this see also 
par. nil.) 

1070. Why Ti>as Jesus Christ crucified a< Mount CaU 
var}) ? 

Because that was the common place of execution, and 
was adjacent to the city. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 23 

A.C. 33. — The Humiliation of Jesus. 



107L According to an old tradition preserved by, among others, 
the venerable Bede, this spot was the very one wherein Adam had been 
interred; the foot of the cross resting exactly upon the skull of the first 
man, or upon the portion of earth which had replaced it. - 

1072. Why did our Lord suffer death h\) crucifixion 
and not h\) an]) of the modes usual among the Jews? 

Because his death, ahhough brought about by the ur- 
gent and riotous soHcitations of the Jews, was really the act 
of their Roman masters. , ^ 

1073. "The cross," says Jahn, ''was the punishment inflicted by th» 
Romans on servants who had perpetrated crimes, on robbers, assassins, 
and rebels, among which last Jesus was reckoned, on the ground of his 
making himself king or Messiah. 

The words in which the sentence was given were as follows: — "Thou 
shalt go to the cross." The person who was subjected to this punish- 
ment was deprived of all his clothes, excepting something around the 
loins. In this state of nudity he was beaten with rods, but more gen- 
erally with whips. Such was the severity of this flagellation that numbers 
died under it. Jesus was crowned with thorns and made the subject ol 
mockery, but nothing of this kind could be legally done; or in other 
words, insults of this kind were not among the ordinary attendants of 
crucifixion. They were owing, in this case, merely to the petulent spirit 
of th^ Roman soldiers." 

1074. Why did our Savior submit to these extra deg- 
radations which he could, as Cod, have prevented? 

Because he chose to set an example to his disciples and 
future followers, of an entire and perfect abnegation. 

1075. The criminal having been beaten was subjected to the further 
suffering of being obliged to carry the cross himself to the place of 
punishment, which was commonly a hill near the public way, and out 
of the city. The place of execution at Jerusalem " was a hill to the 
northwest of the city. The cross or post, otherwise called the unpropi- 
tious, or infamous tree, consisted of a piece of wood erected perpen- 
dicularly, and intersected by another at right angles, near the top, so as 
somewhat to resemble the letter T. The crime for which the person 
suffered was inscribed on the transverse piece near the top of the 
perpendicular one. 

There is no mention made in ancient writers of anything on which 
the feet of the person crucified rested. Near the middle, however, of 
the perpendicular beam there projected a piece of wood on which he sat, 
and which answered as a support to the body, since its weight might 
otherwise have torn away the hands from the nails driven through 
them. The cross which was erected at the place of punishment, being 
there firmly fixed in the ground, rarely exceeded ten feet in height. The 
victim, perfectly naked, was elevated to the small projection in the 
middle, the hands were then bound by a rope round the transverse beam, 
and nailed through the palm.* 

♦The above is Jahn's account of the ordinary mode of procedure; 
others say that the cross being laid upon the ground the victim was 
stretched upon and fastened to it. When this had been done, the lower 
end was placed near the hole or socket prepared for it, and the cross, 
nith its fearful burden, drawn up by a rope and pulleys. 



232 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 33. — Circumstances attendant upon Death by Crucifixion. 



The position which is taken by some, viz., that the persons wn<» 
suffered crucifixion were not in some instances fastened to the cross by 
nails, but were merely bound to it by ropes, cannot be proved by the 
testimony of any ancient writer whatever. That the feet as well as the 
hands were fastened to the cross by means of nails, is expressly stated 
in the plav of Plautus, entitled **Mostellaria," Act ii. Sc. 1. 12. In 
reard to the nailing of the feet, it may be furthermore observed that 
Gregory I^'azianzen has asserted that one nail only was driven through 
both of them, but Cyprian ("De Passione"), who had been a personal 
witness to crucifixions, and is consequently in this case the better 
authority, states on the contrary, that two nails or spikes were driven, 
one through each foot. Crucifixion was not only the most ignominious, 
it was likewise the most cruel of punishments. So much so, that Cicero 
exclaims, "Away with the very thought of it from the minds of men!" 
— (In Verrem, V. 64 et 66.) 

1076. Wh]) Tvas crucifixion the most painful as rvell as 
the most ignominious of deaths? 

Because it was the most lingering; the victims frequently 
surviving till the third day, and then dying of mere exhaus- 
tion. 

1077. No wounds are more painful than those inflicted in crucifixion. 
They are at once what surgeons term punctured, lacerated, and contused, 
which are the three most serious varieties of that species of injury. 
Independently of the grave nature of the wounds themselves, their 
danger is much increased when they occur in such parts as the palm of 
the hand or the sole of the foot, in which bones, fasciae, tendons, and 
their sheaths, predominate; tissues which, when so injured, reflect the 
mischief into the constitution immediately and most violently, giving rise 
to unmanageable traumatic fever. In many very sensitive constitutions, 
the immediate shock of the act of crucifixion itself would hardly be 
rallied from. If, however, the victim should have sufficient constitutional 
power to support reaction, the intense agony produced by the weight of 
the body suspended on the raw parts in contact with the nails in the 
hands, and by the inflammatory swelling of the palmar and plantar tissues 
pressing against the unyielding iron, and the position of the body, is one 
of the principal agents in the production of that exhaustion which termi- 
nates the frightful scene. 

If the sufferer lived many hours, the injured parts after ulcerating 
would become gangrenous; great general depression of the vital powers 
would at once come on, with hiccough and cold sweats the circulation 
would be hurried and feeble the breathing short and frequent; and the 
patient would rapidly sink, the feeling of pain being lessened, but the 
sense of anxiety and prostration augmented towards the last. — (Dr. 
Dorrington in "People's Bible Dictionary.") 

1078. IVh^ ivas the cross of Jesus Christ placed in the 
midst, between those of the two robbers? 

As an additional mark of disgrace, to show that in the 
opinion of his executioners he was the greatest malefactor of 
the three. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 233 

A.C. 33. — The Title upon rhe Cross. 

1079. Wh^ does St. Matthew say (xxvii. 34) that 
both the robbers blasphemed, while the other evangelists 
speaf( of onl]) one of them doing so? 

At first both reproached our Savior, but upon witness- 
ing the awful prodigies incidental to the crucifixion, one of 
them was converted and craved forgiveness. 

1 080. Why Jvas the death of our Savior by crucifixion 
as degrading to the Jews as it Was ignominious to the person 
who endured it? 

Because as not being a Hebrew punishment, but essen- 
tially a Roman one, it marked most clearly the entire sub- 
jugation — morally and materially — of the Jewish people to 
the yoke of their Gentile conquerors. 

1081. The punishment continued in use no longer than the reign of 
Constantine, when it was abolished by the influence of the Christian 
religion. Examples of it are found in the early part of that emperor's 
reign, but the reverence which at a later period he was led to feel for 
the cross induced him to put an end to the practice. Such was a worthy 
effect of the cross, which is the symbol of the largest philanthropy and 
the truest love. 

1 082. Why Was the title or inscription set over the cross 
written in three languageSy namely ^ in Hebrew, Creek, ^^^ 
Latin? 

Because people of all languages had been collected at 




^)7 jj 

IV M3JIAXAH 

PORTION OF THE TITLE, OR TITULUS, OVER THE CROSS. 



234 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 33.— The Title upon the Cross. 



Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, and according to the 
Roman law it was necessary that the cause of death should 
be set forth intelligently to all passers-by. 

1083. The tablet or titulus bearing this inscription is said to have 
been found by Helen (called St. Helen), mother of Constantine the Great, 
and by her conveyed to Rome, where it was preserved in the church of 
the Holy Cross; and at length, in 1492, to have been anew brought 
to light, being found in the vaulted roof of the same church while it was 
undergoing repairs. From the annexed cut, which is a fac-simile of a 
part of this title, it will be observed that the words, comformably to 
ancient custom in Judea, are read from right to left. The inscription 
corresponds with the statement of St. John, presenting traces of the 
Hebrew first, then the Greek, and then the Latin. The Hebrew is the 
least, the Latin the most distinct. The last presents in full the word 
NAZARENUS — "the Nazarene" — with two letters, apparently R and E, 
which with X, would make REX, or king; so that, as St. John states, 
the title thus appears to have run, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," 
and consequently, contained the scoffing implication that Jesu^ had 
suffered death for high treason against the Roman sovereignty. 

1 084o Wh'^ did Pilate refuse the request of the Jews to 
alter the title '*JeSUS OF NaZARETH, KiNG of THE 
Jews," which he had set up over the cross? 

Because he was exasperated with them for their impor- 
tunity and obstinacy in forcing him against his own sense of 
justice to put Jesus to death. 

1085. Nothing could be more ignominous to the Jews than to behold 
one of their nation, and evidently a strict observer of the law, put to 
death because he was their kins, and they did not wish him to reign over 
them. Their very violence caused them to overreach themselves. Had they 
been more moderate, Pilate would have gratified them, as he had eve^y 
wish to do, consistent with his self-respect. 

1 086. Why did the soldiers divide among them the 
garments of Jesus? 

As a greater mark of ignominy ; such a course being per- 
mitted only in the cases of the vilest and most worthless of 
malefactors — with men who possessed nothing more than 
their garments. 



1087. In order to be spared this last insult, it was usual for the 
friends of the criminal to pay a trifle to the executioners. That our Lord 
suffered himself to be thus humbled — that he permitted his disciples and 
"brethren" to be driven from him, whether through their own fears or 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 235 

A.C. 33.— The Penitent Thief Pardoned. 

otherwise, was consistent with that mysterious love of suffering and 
humiliation, which commenced at Nazareth, and was exhibited throughout 
his whole earthly career. Of course this division of Christ's garment was 
another proof from prophecy of the identity of Jesus as the Messiah. 

"The dress of the Arabs in this part of the Holy Land, and, indeed, 
throughout all Syria, is simple and uniform; it consists of a blue shirt, 
descending below the knees, the legs and feet being exposed, or the 
latter being sometimes covered with the ancient cothurnus or heav> 
buskin. A cloak is worn of coarse and heavy camel's-hair cloth, almost 
universally decorated with broad black and white stripes, passing verti- 
cally down the back; this is of one square piece, with holes for the 
arms; it has a seam down the back; made without this seam it is con- 
'^idered of greater value. Here then we behold, perhaps, the form and 
materials of our Savior's garment for which the soldiers cast lots, being 
'without seam, woven from the top throughhout.' It was the most ancient 
dress of the inhabitants of the country." — (Clarke's Travels.) 

1 088. Wh\) did Jesus promise the penitent thief that he 
should that day be Tvith him in paradise, rvhen it is certain 
that our Lord did not for some time afterwards ascend into 
heaven ? 

Because he was pleased, in reward for the faith and tes- 
timony of that poor criminal, exhibited under such aston- 
ishing circumstances, to grant him a full pardon of his sins, 
both as to their guilt and punishment; and by a special 
privilege to admit him immediately after death to the com- 
pany of the saints, which company, or the place where it 
was assembled, was made paradise by the presence of Christ. 

1089. Respecting this visit of the soul of Christ to the place of 
abode of the saints of the old law, see 1 Peter iii. 19. 

1090. Why did our Savior shortly before his death 
upon the cross address his mother, and commend her to the 
care of St. John? (John xix. 26.) 

St. Chrysostom answers this question thus: — **Though 
there were other holy women standing by the cross, Jesus 
Christ takes notice of none but his mother, teaching us by 
this what we owe to our parents, and that we are not to fail 
in our love to them even in our extremity." — (Hom. 84. in 
Joannem.) 

1091. History informs us what we might naturally suppose to have 
been the case, that the Holy Virgin went to the *'house" of St. John 
(John xix. 27), and for the remainder of her earthly life lived under his 
roof. This is said to have been in the vicinity of Mount Carmel. 



236 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 33. — The Vinegar and Gall Offered. 

1 092. Wh^ did the Jews, in offering '^vinegar mingled 
with galV to Jesus upon the cross, place it upon a stick of 
hyssop ? 

. Because the day, being a high day — the eve of a great 
Sabbath — they thought thus to escape defilement. 

1093. The fact of the Jews being upon the field of execution exposed 
them to probable defilement. In the Mosaical law the hyssop was largely 
used in purifications. See Exod. xii. 22, where a bunch of hyssop is 
directed to be dipped in blood and struck on the lintels and the two 
side-posts of the doors of the houses in which the Israelites resided. 
Also, Lev. xiv. 4, 6, 52, in the case of the cleansing of lepers; and Num. 
xix. 6, 18, in preparing the waters of separation. By placing the beverage 
upon the long, reed-like hyssop, they concluded that thus they avoided 
actual contact with the suffering and almost expiring body of our Savior 

1094. Wh"^ did our Lord refuse the vniegar mingled 
with gall which was offered to him upon the cross? 

Because he would by that last act of self-denial con- 
<^ummate the sacrifice of himself to the offended majesty of 
heaven. ' 

1095. The Jews in the times under consideration, while they were 
under the jurisdiction of the Romans, were in the habit of giving the 
criminal, before the commencement of his sufferings, a medicated drink 
of wine and myrrh. The object of this was to produce intoxication, and 
thereby render the pains of crucifixion less sensible to the sufferer. This 
beverage was refused by our Savior for another reason than that stated 
above. He chose to die with the faculties of his mind undisturbed and 
unclouded. It should be remarked that this sort of drink, which was 
probably offered out of kindness, was different from the vinegar which 
was subsequently offered to our Savior by the Roman soldiers. 

1 096. Wh^ is the period of our Lord's suffering upon 
the cross, which we k^ow was from twelve at noon till three 
in the afternoon, called ''from the sixth to the ninth hour'* ? 

Because in the Jewish horology the day was reckoned 
from sunrise to sunset, the former period being called the first 
hour, and he latter the twelfth; at the equinox the first hour 
answered to our seven o'clock A.M. ; and our twelfth or 
noontide to their sixth. Thus from twelve to three was, in 
the phraseology of that day and season, from the sixth to 
the ninth hour. 

1097. Why did Jesus Christ, at the moment of his 
death upon the cross, cry out ''with a loud voice'' ? 

In this our Redeemer confirms what he had said to 
Pilate, "I have power to lay down my life, and I have 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 237 

A.C. 33. — The Death of Jesus Christ upon the Cross. 

power to take it up again;'* for he cried with a loud voice, 
and at the very hour of the evening sacrifice, to show that it 
was the effect of his own will that he died. — (St. John 
Chrysostom, Horn. 89.) 



1098. The centurion mentioned by St. Mark (xv. 39) was so con- 
vinced, that, humanly considered, no sufferer upon the cross at such a 
moment could cry out with a loud voice, that he was at once made to 
believe in the supernatural character of Jesus, and exclaimed, "Truly this 
man was the Son of God." This centurion, according to St. Chrysostum, 
was afterwards a martyr for Christ. 

1 099. Why was it that our Savior survived so short a 
time after his being nailed to the cross? 

Because, physically speaking, of the extremely exhaust- 
ed state in which his highly-impressible nervous system must 
have been at the time of his crucifixion. 



1100. "It is impossible for us," says Dr. Dorrington, **at all to 
appreciate the depressing and exhausting effects of the mental agony with 
which the Savior of the world contemplated the awful terminations of his 
earthly career — an agony of which we have seen such evidence in the 
garden of Gethsemane the previous evening, and in his last 'cry upon the 
cross. Great demands were made upon his bodily and mental energies 
during the last days of his life — the total loss of that rest so necessary to 
nerve the body the night before his trial — the cruelties and outrages that 
preceded the crucifixion, and his utter separation from the expression of 
all human sympathy and encouragement after his capture — all acting upon a 
nervous system the most finely tempered and acutely sensitive the world 
ever saw would necessarily leave him in a state of prostration incapable 
of long bearing the mortal agonies of the cross." 



1 101. Why did not the soldiers, as was the usual cus- 
tom, break the legs of Jesus Christ as he hung upon the cross? 

1 . Because there was no necessity for it, he being al- 
ready dead. 2. Because they were withheld by the hand 
of God from doing so, it having been prophesied that **not a 
bone of him shall be broken." (Exod. xii. 46.) 



1102. Although the passage in Exodus applied to the treatment of the 
paschal lamb, its reference to this particular circumstance in our Lord's 
passion is declared by the evengelist, who emphatically states that it was 
done, or omitted to he done, in order that the Scriptures might be ful- 
filled. Ordinarilly the crucified person remained suspended upon the cross 
till he died, and the corpse had become putrid: while he exhibited any 



238 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 33.— The Flowing of the Water and the Blood. 



signs of life he was watched by a guard, but they left him when it 
appeared that he was dead. An exception, however, to this general prac- 
tice was made by the Romans in favor of the Jews, whose laws prescribed 
the interment of criminals before the next dawn ; and in Judea accordingly 
crucified persons were buried on the same day. When", therefore, there 
was not a prospect that they would die on the day of crucifixion, the 
executioners hastened the extinction of life, sometimes by kindling a fire 
under the cross so as to suffocate them with the smoke, at others by 
letting loose wild beasts upon them, or by breaking their bones upon the 
cros^s with a mallet, as upon an anvil, or by piercing them with a spear, 
in order that they might be at once buried." — (Jahn.) 

1 1 03. Wh^ did he soldier pierce our^ Lord's side mth 
a spear? 

Because that was the most effectual way to ascertain 
whether the victim had expired or was still alive. 



1104. Besides the mystical meaning of the act which followed, namely, 
the flowing out of blood and water, which typified the sacraments of 
Baptism and the Lord's Supper, the piercing of the side of Jesus is a very 
important part in the history of the crucifixion, inasmuch as the circum- 
stances attending it preclude the possibility of his having been removed 
from the cross before death, and therefore, of his having been resuscitated 
— a rationalistic mode of explaining the resurrection. Modern pathologists 
have observed facts which go to prove that the flowing out of blood and 
water from the side was a natural occurence under the circumstances, and 
that it could have taken place only in the case of a subject already some 
time dead. 

1 105. Wh"^ is the fact of the florving of the blood and 
neater from the Tvound in our Savior's side related onl]) b]) 
St, John? 

Because he was the only evangelist who actually wit- 
nessed the death of Jesus Christ, and this was a circumstance 
of which only an eye-witness would have taken notice. 

1106. "This is just such a circumstance," says the eminent medical 
authority whom we have before quoted, "as, from not being necessary to 
the general truth of the story, might easily be omitted from gospels 
proceeding from persons who did not behold the crucifixion; while it is 
just the kind of event that an eye-witness like John, who seems to have 
hung about the cross of his Master with touching fidelity, would note at 
the time , and commit to writing afterwards. This difference between the 
synoptical and John's gospel is so accordant with our general experience 
of the manner in which historical narratives of the same event come to 
differ, as to afford the most satisfactory kind of testinu)ny to those who 
understand the general nature of historical evidence." 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 239 



. A.C. 33. — Prodigies following thereupon. 



1 1 07. Wh}) rvas the veil of the Temple rent in tivain at 
the moment of our Lord*s death ? 

1 . Because at that moment, by the very fact of the 
Lord's death, the old dispensation was done away with, the 
temple, with its ceremonial wprship, now being rendered 
useless, and being superseded by the new law and testament. 
2. As a natural result of the earthquake which ensued, 
when the God of nature yielded up his human existence for 
the sins of mankind. 



1108. "About one yard and a half distance from the hole in which the 
foot of the cross was fixed, is seen that memorable cleft in the rock made 
by the earth(!)uake which happened at the suffering of Jesus Christ, when 
the rocks rent and the very graves were opened. This cleft, as to wh^t 
now appears of it. is about a span wide at its upper part and two deep, 
after which it closes; but it opens again below, as you may see in another 
chapel contiguous to the side of Calvary, and runs down to an unknown 
depth in the earth. That this rent was made by the earthquake that 
happened at our Lord's passion, there is only tradition to prove; but that 
it is a natural and genuine breach, and not counterfeited by any art, the 
sense and reason of every one that sees it may convince him, for the sides 
of it fit like two tallies to each other; and yet it' runs in such intricate 
windings as could not be well counterfeited by art, nor arrived at by any 
instruments." — (Maundrell's "Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem.") 

"The far end of this chapel, called the chapel of St. John, is confined 
with the foot of Calvary, where, on the left side of the altar, there is a 
cleft in the rock. The insides do testify that art had no hand therein, 
each side to the other being answerably rugged; and these were inaccessi- 
ble to the workmen. That before spoken of, in the chapel below, is a 
part oi this which reaches, as they say, to the center." — (Sandy's Travels.) 

As there were in the temple two parts of the sanctuary, so there were 
two veils, or partition wall. The first sanctuary, called the holy, was 
separated by a veil from that part of the temple called the court of the 
Israelites. Into this outward sanctuary, called "holy," the priests that 
were in the office entered every day. The second interior sanctuary, 
called the holy of holies, was also separated from the outward sanctuary 
by another veil. Both these veils seem to have been rent at Christ's 
death; and by their being broken down was signified first that the cere- 
monies of the ancient law were to be abolished by the law of Christ, and 
also that heaven should be open to all. 

1 1 09. Why^ Tvere the graves opened as one of the 
effects of the earthquake n?hich ensued upon our Lord's 
death? 

1 . Because supernaturally the death of Christ wasr the 
cause of the opening of the prison-doors of the grave, he be- 
ing **the first-fruits of them that slept," and the one only 
means by which the dead could rise again to immortal life. 



240 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



A.C. 33. — The Site of the Crucifixion. 



2. Because naturally, the tombs being generally excavated 
in the face of the rocks, and enclosed like cupboards with 
a door, standing perpendicularly, the shock of an earthquake 
would, as one of its first effects, throw open such doors. 

1110. These doors were fastened with a large and broad stone rolled 
against them. It was at the shutting up of the sepulcher with this stone 
that mourning began, and after it was thus shut it was not lawful to 
open it. 

1111. Wh^ Was the site of the crucifixion called ''Gol- 
gotha,'' or the place of the skull? 

Because, according to Eastern travelers, and especially 
Buckingham, it was a mound, or nodule of earth, resembling 
in form a human skull. 

1112. It has been thought that "place of a skull," or *'the skull/' 
meant a place of execution, or a place ordinarily appropriated to executions. 
But the above writer says, "had that been the case there would have been 
no need to specify it so particularly. It would have been mentioned 
simply as Golgotha, or the Golgotha. Each of the evangelists, however, 
speak of it as a place that required pointing out — as an exceptional spot, 
in fact. It was formerly without the city, on its northwest side; but is 
now included within the walls which have in later ages been built up by 
its more recent possessors." 

The history of the discovery and identification of Golgotha, or Mount 
Calvary is very interesting. The following is abridged from Dr. Kitto: — 

The memory of distinguished places is among the least perishable of 
earthly things. Thermopylae and Runnymede are yet, and will ever be 
known. With how much more reason Calvary ! At the first there were, 
not only in Jerusalem and Palestine, but in all parts of the earth, bosoms 
which had found for it a shrine. Fathers would convey their knowledge 
and their impressions to sons; one generation and one church to another; 
and thus from age to age there would be a regular transmission ot the 
essential facts of the case; till at length the tradition became fixed in 
history, and a splendid edifice was raised in commemoration of the great 
events which rendered Golgotha the most remarkable spot on the whole 
earth. After the capture of Jerusalem by the Romans it became a heathen 
city. Statues and temples to Jupiter were erected, and upon Caivary 
itself a fane dedicated to Venus was set up. This was done both from 
contempt of the Christians, and policy towards the conquered Jews. The 
heathens thought that by thus insulting the memory of Jesus they should 
conciliate his executioners. However that might be, the act served to 
determine the situation of Calvary. With the final destruction of Jeru- 
salem by Titus, a.d. 70, both Jews and Christians were driven from the 
holy places. But now commenced the long series of pilgrimages from 
distant places to the Holy Land, which have continued even to the present 
hour.* Eusebius (a.d. 315) informs us that Christians visited Jerusalem 
from all regions of the earth, for the object of paying respect to the scenes 
of our Lord's sufferings and death. 

* There is at present (1859) in London, a gentleman — a Mr. Wigley 
— whose title is "Guide and cicerone in pilgrimages to Palestine, etc." 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 241 

A.C. 33. — The Burial Place of Jesus Christ. 



Early in the fourth century Eusebius and Jerome write down the 
tradition, and fix the locality in their works. We now come to the testi- 
mony of the Emperor Constantine, and his mother, Helena (St. Helen). 
The latter when very far advanced in life visited Jerusalem, for the 
express purpose of erecting a church on the spot where the Lord Jesus 
had been crucified. She had previously learned that the holy places had 
been heaped up and concealed by the heathen, and she resolved to attemp. 
to bring them to light. On her arrival at Jerusalem she inquired dili- 
gently of the inhabitants. Yet the search was uncertain and difficult, in 
consequence of the obstructions by which the heathen had sought to render 
the spot unknown. These being all removed, the sacred sepulcher was 
discovered, and by its side three crosses with the tablet bearing the 
inscription written by Pilate. On the site thus ascertained was erected, 
whether by Constantine, or by Helena, certainly by Roman influence and 
treasure, a splendid and extensive Christian temple. Socrates, the 
ecclesiastical historian, says, "the emi>eror's mother erected over the place 
where the sepulcher was, a most magnificent church, and called it New 
Jerusalem, building it opposite to that old deserted Jerusalem." This 
church was completed and dedicated, a.d. 335. It was a great occasion 
for the whole Christian world. After a lapse of two centuries and a half, 
this church of the Holy Sepulcher was burnt by the Persians (a.d. 614). 
It was shortly afterwards rebuilt by Modestus, with resources supplied 
by John Eleemor, patriarch of Alexandria. The Basilica, or Martyrion, 
erected under Constantine, remained as before. The Mahometans next 
became masters of Jerusalem. At length Harun-al-Rashid made over to 
Charlemagne the jurisdiction of the Holy Sepulcher. Palestine again 
became the scene of battles and bloodshed. Muez, of the Fatimites, 
transferred the seat of his empire to Cairo, when Jerusalem fell into the 
hands of new masters, and the Holy Sepulcher is said to have been again 
set on fire. It was fully destroyed at the command of the third of the 
Fatimite kalifs in Egypt, the building being razed to its foundation. In 
the reign of his successor it was rebuilt, being completed A.D. 1048; but 
instead of its former magnificent Basilica over the place of Golgotha, a 
small chapel only now graced the spot. 

The Crusades soon began. , The crusaders regarded the edifices con- 
nected with the sepulcher as too contracted, and erected a stately temple, 
the walls and general form of which are admitted to remain to the 
present day. So recently, however,, as a.d. 1808, the church of the Holy 
Sepulcher was partly consumed by fire; but being rebuilt by the Greeks, 
it now offers no traces of its recent desolation.* 

1113. Who was Joseph of Arimaihea?- 

He was a member of he Jewish Sanhedrim, and secretly 
a disciple of Jesus, but who did not consent to the judgment 
of that tribunal, which condemned our Lord to be crucified. 

1114. Arimathea, the place of this disciple's birth, lay in the territory 
of Benjamin, on the mountain range of Ephraim, at a short distance south 
of Jerusalem, and near to Gibeah. Joseph is described by St. Luke as a 
good man and just, and it is probable that this, his character among 
all parties of the Jews, preserved him from their enmity, when in con- 
junction with Nicodemus he went to Pilate, and besought the body of 
Jesus, in order to its honorable interment in his own sepulcher. Tradi- 

* Kitto's ''Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature." 



242 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 33. — The Burial of Jesus Christ. 



tlon represents Joseph of Arimathea as among the earliest propagators 
of the gospel in the West. He is said to have landed in Britain, and to 
have preached to our ancestors. 

1115. Wh]) was the permission of Pilate necessary fce- 
fore the bod^ of Jesus could be removed from the cross for 
interment ? 

Because, by the Roman law, the bodies of crucified 
persons were disentitled to burial, and were generally left 
upon the cross, until devoured by birds of prey or prowling 
beasts. 

1116. It has been already stated that the Jews had the privilege, 
generally, of interring the bodies of crucified persons; it is probable that 
the friends of Jesus might fear that in his case a special permission 
would be necessary. 

1117. Wh^ is it stated of the new sepulcher wherdin 
Joseph of Arimathea interred the body of Jesus, that no 
man had yet been laid therein? . (John xix. 41 ). 

1 . Because thereby all doubt might be removed that it 
was Jesus himself who arose from the dead on the third day, 
and not some other person who had been placed there; or 
that he arose by the virtue of some other body reposing there. 

1118. As was the case with the person who was being buried in the 
tomb of Elisha; which circumstance is thus related in 2 Kings xiii. 20: — 

"And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the 
Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. 

"And it came to pass as they were burying a man, that, behold, they 
spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulcher of Elisha: 
and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he 
revived, and stood upon his feet." 

2. Because the awful sanctity of the body of Jesus de- 
manded the exclusive possession of a new sepulcher; he 
being perfectly free from any, even the slightest, element of 
corruption. 

To have placed the sacred body of our Lord in a tomb previously 
used, would seem to be something utterly repugnant to our feelings as 
Christians. This was, in all probability, the sentiment of the disciple, 
and hence the result. 

1119. Why did the Jews make the request to Pilate 
that he would set a guard of soldiers over the tomb of Jesus? 

Because, notwithstanding their affected dread lest the 
apostles — paralyzed with fear, and hiding themselves **in 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 243 

A.C. 33.— End of Pilate. 

an upper room" — should come by night and steal him away, 
they had some real apprehensions that, after all, he might be 
able to raise himself to life again, as he had predicted. 

1120. The wonderful prodigies which occurred at the moment of 
Christ's death might well cause misgivings, and were the very natural 
preludes to such a phenomenon. But the Jews, in adopting this foolish 
precaution, again outwitted themselves; for they thus subpoenaed, as it 
were, a set of most disinterested witnesses of the resurrection. The guard 
ordered by Pilate, in compliance with the request of the Jews on this 
occasion, is supposed to have been the company of Roman soldiers 
destined for the protection of the temple. Aquinas exclaims, "See how, 
beyond the possibility of contradiction, these precautions prove the reality 
of Christ's resurrection, and how the inveterate enemies of Christ become 
unwilling witnesses of it; for since the sepulcher was guarded, there was 
no possibility of any deceit on the part of the disciples. Now if the 
least deceit was utterly impracticable, then, indeed, is Christ our Lord 
infallibly risen: and to remove even the least possibility of deceit, Pilate 
would not let the soldiers alone seal the monument — the Jews assist 
thereat, sealing the stone at its entrance with the public seal.". 

1121. What was the end of Plate? 

The circumstances attendant upon the removal of Pilate 
from his government of Judea are thus collected by Jahn 
in his **Hebrew Commonwealth": — 

1122. "An impostor, or false Messiah, made his appearance soon 
after this in Samaria (it was about A.c. 35 — the year that St. Stephen 
was stoned) and under pretence of digging up the sacred vessels of Moses, 
which were supposed to have been buried in mount Gerizim, collected a 
body of armed men. A great number assembled at Tirabatha, in order to 
go to mount Gerizim; but Pilate, with a body of horse and foot, inter- 
cepted their march, slew the greater part of the deluded multitude in the 
first attack, and dispersed the rest. A few were taken prisoners, and put 
to death at the command of Pilate. Upon which the Samaritans sent an 
embassy to Vitellius, proconsul of Syria, and complained of the violence 
of Pilate. Vitellius, thereupon, A.c. 37, sent Marcellus to Judea, to 
assume the office of procurator, and ordered Pilate to Rome to answer 
the accusations brought against him. Caius Caligula, who succeeded 
Tiberius in the government, a.c. 37 or 38, banished Pilate to Vienne in 
Gaul, where he is said to have committed suicide." 

1123. Horv rvas the proconsul of S^ria enabled to 
supersede the procurator of Judea, as in preceding account? 

Ordinarily, the procurator was under the rule of the pro- 
consul. Judea forming part of the province of Syria, Pilate, 
as its procurator, was the subordinate officer of Vitellius, 
who held the proconsulship of the whole province. 

1124. Sometimes the procurators were invested with a superior power 
against the proconsul; but this was an exceptional case, and did not 
obtain in the instance of Pilate. — (Carr's "Manual of Roman Antiquities.") 



244 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 33. — Resurrection of Christ. 

1 1 25. Wh^ are the hol^ rvomen represented as bringing, 
**on the first day of the n^ee^," spices to the sepulcher, when 
the body of Jesus had already been embalmed ? 

Because, although a large quantity of the embalming 
spices had been used by Joseph of Arimathea and Nico- 
demus (John xix. 39), it is probable that great haste and 
precipitation had been used by them, **for fear of the Jews.'* 
The devout Magdalene and her companions were anxious 
to rectify any defects which that haste might have caused. 

1126. Why does St. John speak of himself as *'the 
disciple whom Jesus loved'* and *'that other disciple'*? 
(John XX. 2, 3.) 

From a motive of modesty, he not liking to mention his 
own name too frequently in the sacred narrative. 

1127. Why did the resurrection of Jesus Christ from 
the dead take place on the first day of the week-'^ 

To mark the commencement of the new era, and to 
transfer the weekly rest, or **Sabbath," from the seventh to 
the first day. 

1128. God rested from the work of creation on the seventh day, "and 
hallowed it." (Exod. xx.) Christ, having completed the work of redemp- 
tion, rose from the tomb on the first day of the week, and hallowed it 
for all Christians. The time at which Jesus Christ ascended from the 
tomb was just daybreak or a little before it; 'Very early in the morning." 
(Mark xvi. 2.) **In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn." 
(Matt, xxviii. 1.) (See 1294.) 

1 1 29. Why did the angel of the Lord descend from 
heaven, ''and roll back the stone from the mouth of the 
sepulcher* ? (Matt, xxviii. 2.) 

Our Lord had risen from the tomb previous to the 
descent of the angel, and without rending it. The stone was 
removed for the purpose of affording to the holy women 
and other spectators an opportunity of entrance, and the 
necessary evidence that Christ was no longer there. 

1130. The appearance of the angel, whose "countenance was like 
lightning," and whose **raiment was white as snow," must have been 
truly appalling to the Roman guard. The soldiers, before whom the 
world had bent its knee, now shook like timid hares, "and became as 
dead men." And the angel answered and said unto the women (the 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 245 

A.C. 33. — His Appearance to Mary Magdalene. 



soldiers were not worthy to be addressed by the heavenly messenger), 
"E^ear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He 
is not here; for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where 
the Lord lay." 

1131. Wh]) did the angel sa\) to the holy Tvomen, ''He 
goeth before })ou into Calilee?'' (Matt, xxviii. 7.) 

Because the name of Galilee interpreted means transmi- 
gration or passage, and was significant of the Christian 
warfare. 

1132. Our Savior, on the day of his resurrection, showed himself 
alive five different times: — 1. To Mary Magdalene; 2. To the women 
leaving the sepulcher; 3. To St. Peter; 4. To the two disciples going 
to Emmaus; 5. To the disciples assembled together when the two returned 
from Emmaus. And after the day of his resurrection, before he ascended 
into heaven, he appeared five other times: — 1. After eight days, when 
Thomas was present; 2. When the seven disciples were fishing on the 
sea of Tiberias; 3. To the eleven on Mount Tabor; 4. In Jerusalem on 
the day of the ascension; and 5. On the same day on Mount Olivet, 
when he was taken from them. 

1 1 33. Why is particular mention made of the linen 
clothes lying? (John xx. 5.) 

Because that, according to St. Chrysostom, was of itself 
a miracle. Christ's body having been buried with myrrh, 
the linen would adhere to it as firmly ^as pitch, so that it 
would be impossible to steal or take away the body jvithoui 
the linen cloth. 

1 1 34. Why does St, John, still speaking of himself as 
''that other disciple,'' say that having Tvitnessed the miracle 
of the resurrection "he saw and beiieved'' ? (John xx. 8.) 

Because he had not hitherto sfccepted the divine nature 
of our Lord to its full extent, which he now confessed him- 
self able to do. 

1135. Although the apostles had so often heard their master speak 
in the plainest terms of his resurrection, still, being so accustomed to 
parables, they did not understand him, and imagined something else 
was meant by these words. 

1 1 36. Why did Mary Magdalene fail to recognize 

Jesus when she saw him, but mistook him for the gardener? 

Because she had present to her mind the image of Jesus 

suffering, bruised, and disfigured as it hung upon the cross, 

or was lying dead in the sepulcher, to which image the 



246 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE, 



A.C. 33. — Portrait of Jesus Christ. 



present appearance of her divine Lord bore very little re- 
semblance. 

1137. Magdalene, in grief and tears, knew not Jesus at first; but 
no sooner does he address her than the well-known accents recall him 
at once to her mind. She would now wish to kiss his feet, but he 
desires her first to go and bear the joyful message of his resurrection 
to his "brethren," i.e., the disciples and Peter (Mark xvi. 7.) Calmet 
thus paraphrases the words of Jesus Christ to Magdalene: — "I will not 
leave vou again: be not in a hurry to touch me; you shall all have 
this pleasure: I will remain with you some time before my ascension. 
Announce my resurrection to the apostles." 

1 I 38. IVh^ should the profile portrait of our Savior 
sent b}) Lentulus to Tiberias be regarded ivith respect as a 
highly probable likeness? 

Because, says the author of '*The Truths of Religion 
Demonstrated by an Appeal to Existing Monuments," **We 




PORTRAIT OF JESUS CHRIST. 



think it by no means improbable that some of the early 
Jewish converts might be desirous to possess a memorial of 
their Lord in a medal which might bear an impress of his 
visage." 

1139. "And that such medals did exist there can be but little doubt, 
though both Celsus and Origen were ignorant of them. In these remote 
periods, even in the paintings and sculptures of Thebes, much more 
in those of Greece and Rome, their statues and pictures were correct 
likenesses, and were^ multiplied without reserve. Besides these, there 
was another source which might supply such a medal, altogether irre- 
spective of the early Christians. Scarcely an event occurred of great 
moment that was not commemorated on a coin or medal. So remark- 
able a history of events as those which occurred in Judea would not 
pass by, we may be sure, without some such commemoration. It is 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 247 

A.C. 33. — The Disciples going to Emmaus. 



highly probable that the governor of Judea would send to Tiberias and 
the Roman senate a representation of the illustrious individual who 
was the Author of that "new religion" which, according to their own 
account, had "turned the world upside down." Copies of several medals 
are given in the work above referred to, all bearing a strong resemblance 
to each' other, and on one of which the word Messias appears. Of one 
of them the author remarks: — "It is interesting to consider this medal 
in connection with the celebrated letter of Lentulus to Tiberias, with 
which description it entirely corresponds. In rejecting documents such 
as these we may be guilty of an unwarrantable skepticism. We do not 
see why this should not have been taken; but we see many reasons to 
believe that such a representation of our Savior might have been copied." 

— (Ibid.) 

Josephus, the Jewish historian and Pharisee, gives the following 
account of our Lord's appearance and ministry: — "Now there was aboui 
this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for 
he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the 
truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and 
many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ, and when Pilate, at the 
suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the 
cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he 
appeared to them alive again on the third day, as the divine prophets 
had foretold these and many other wonderful things concerning him; and 
the sect of Christians so named from him is not extinct at this day." 

— ("Antiquities," xviii. 3.) 

1 1 40. Why did the chief priests give a large sum of 
mone]^ to the Roman guard to tell an absurd falsehood about 
the resurrection of Jesus? (Matt, xxviii. 12, 13.) 

Because they were reduced, through their own opposi- 
tion to the truth, to a state of judicial bhndness. 

1141. St. Augustine, upon the passage, "And they gave large money 
to the soldiers, saying. Say ye His disciples came by night and stole 
him away while we slept" — "O wretched craft! dost thou shut thy eyes 
against the light of prudence and piety, and plunge thyself so deep in 
cunning as to say this? Dost thou produce sleeping witnesses? Cer- 
tainly thou thyself sleepest that failest in making a true search after 
such things." 

The Jewish leaders were given over to believe a lie — and a lie too 
of their own making. The gospel adds: — "And this saying is commonly 
reported among the Jews until this day." (Matt, xxviii. 15.) 

1142. Who was Cleopas (mentioned Lul^e xxiv.) as 
one of the disciples going to Emmaus, and to whom Jesus 
Christ appeared? 

He was a citizen of Emmaus; according to some, a 
brother of Joseph; to others, the husband of Mary sister to 
the blessed Virgin; and father of James the Less. 

1143. His house was afterwards changed into a church. Both Latins 
and Greeks keep the festival of St. Cleopas, He was martyred by the 
Jews. — (Calmet.) 



248 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 33. — Glorified Appearance of Jesus. 

1 1 44. Wh^ is it said, in connection with the breaking 
of bread y '*and their e^es were opened and they ^neip him** ? 
(Luke xxiv. 31 .) 

Because they received through the **bread*' — under- 
stood to signify the holy sacrament — a spiritual enlighten- 
ment, or a power of discerning that to which naturally they 
were blind. — (Calmet.) 

1145. That the ''breaking of bread" meant simply partaking of a 
repast, is rendered impossible by the comment, supplied by the disciples 
themselves in Luke xxiv. 32, 33. "And they said one to another, Did 
not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us by the way, and while 
he opened to us the Scriptures? 

"And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and 
found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 

"Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared unto Simon. 
"And they told what things were done in the way, and how he^ was 
known of them in breaking of bread." 

1146. Why did Jesus Christ, after ''breaking bread** 
with Cteopas and his companion, vanish out of their sight? 

To show them that his resurrected body was in no way 
subject to the laws of matter; that as God he was superior 
to them. 

1147. For the same purpose Jesus Christ presented himself to the 
assembled apostles and disciples. They were terrifigd and affrighted 
because their minds had been wrought up to an extreme degree of sen- 
sibility. Their joy was of so intense a kind that it was closely allied 
to pain. He appeared "in the midst of them," Hut how? They saw 
no door opened or any aperture by which he could have naturally 
entered. Being doubtful whether they were looking upon a specter or 
a real tangible person, Jesus, after breathing "Peace be unto you," showed 
them his wounded hands and feet. "And while they yet believed not 
for joy, and wondered," to satisfy them that he was really their own 
beloved Jesus, he asks for food, sits down with them and partakes as 
of old. 

1 1 48. Why was St. Thomas incredulous of the resur- 
rection notwithstanding the united testimony of the apostles 
and disciples? 

Because he thought the event too great for belief; in 
ordinary language, too good to be true. 

1149. The absence of Thomas from the first meeting of Christ with 
his apostles may have been permitted in order to bring about the 
additional evidence which was furnished when he was finally convinced. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



249 



The Acts of the Apostles. 




CHAPTER X. 

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES; 

PREFATORY NOTE.* 

With the "Acts of the Apostles" the third part of the Sacred 
Scriptures may be said to commence; for whereas the Old Testament, or 
that portion which contains an account of the origin of the world, the 
work of creation, the giving of the law, and the history of the Jewish 
people, forms the first, and exhibits the work of the first person of the 
Divine Trinity — God the Father; the Gospels comprise the second part, 
or the work of Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity — God the 
Son ; and are succeeded by the third, in the same way, so to speak, as 
the work of the Holy Ghost — the third Divine person — follows and 
completes those of the other two. 

So apparent was this view to the ancient commentators and primitive 
Christians, that the book now called "The Acts of the Apostles," was 
formerly known as the Gospel of the Holy Ghost. 

But, as in the Divine Trinity consisting of three persons, there is 
but one and the same God (see Athanasian Creed prefixed to "The 
Common Prayer"), and as all their respective attributes must neces- 
sarily harmonize, so the three portions of the sacred volume will be found 
to harmonize most perfectly. What is intended here is to point out 
wherein the difference exists between the spirit of the three main por- 
tions of the Bible thus 'divided. 

Characteristic of the First Portion, or Old Testament. 

This may be deduced from a consideration of that of God the 
Father as exhibited to us therein. Jehovah, in his relation to his crea- 



* The above illustration, as well as some of the phraseology used in 
the note, has been taken from Didron's Inconographie Chretienne, Bohn's 
Translation. 



250 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Prefatory Note on "The -\cts/' 



tures, is the God of omnipotence and strength. In the sacred history 
he is constantly described as exerting the divine attribute of power. 
The historical facts narrated in the Old Testament, seem to be created 
by the breath of his will, and to unfold themselves under the power of 
his word. In the moral precepts of the ancient law, a spirit is heard, 
which is not that of love. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of 
wisdom," says the Psalmist. "The fear of the Lord is a crown of 
wisdom," says Solomon, If, with the help of a concordance of the Old 
Testament, we were to seek out all those texts in which fear is extolled, 
or God declared to punish men by fear and terror, we should be 
almost terrified at their number. Everything is condensed into the 
terror which the name of Jehovah alone ought to inspire. "Holy and 
»«»rrible is his name." (Psa. cxi. 9.) 

Of the Second Portion, the Gospels. 

There is a wide difference between the spirit of the Jewish religion, 
which makes us tremble before God like timid children before a severe 
father, and that of the Christian, every word of which breathes on 
man the caressing spirit of love. Between Jehovah and Jesus Christ 
stretches an entire world. The one employs the constrictive ^power of 
severity, the other the expansive agency of hope and love. The^ hand 
of the ancient law is upraised to punish the slightest fault; the new 
law is a mother weeping even while she reproves the errors of her 
children, and caressing while she reproaches them. "The Lord, let him 
be your fear, and let him be your dread," cried the prophet Isaiah 
(viii. 13). "Beloved, let us love one another," said the dying apostle, 
and in thus saying he repeated, perhaps for the thousandth time, the 
lesson he had learned when leaning on the heart of his divine Friend 
and Master. In fact, while Jehovah says, "Enter my house with fear," 
the whole moral teaching of Jesus is comprehended in fhe following 
words: — "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and 
with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy n^ind; 
and thy neighbor as thyself." (Luke x. 27.) 



0/ the Third Portion, or the ** Acts'* and Remaining Books. 

The power of the Father, softened towards his creatures by the 
interposition of the Son, joined to the love of the Son and his own 
attributes of wisdom and intelligence, form a sufficient argument why this 
part oi the Sacred Scriptures should have been sometimes called the 
Gospel of the Holy Ghost. , As the Holy Ghost ii> the spirit of wisdom 
and intelligence, we are led to expect its manifestitions in perusing the 
books in question, and such is the result. The power and sovereignty 
of God — the right he has to our full and unreserved homage, is enforced 
by the apostles as the mouth-pieces of the Divinity. 

The love of God for his creatures, shown in the vicarious sufferings 
oi Christ for them, is held up and proved. The wisdom of God in 
providing the means of a universal redemption, and a sufficient applica- 
tion of those means to every variety ot circuujstance is pointed out. 
Finally, a guarantee is given that the completing work — the assimilation 
of man to the likeness of his offended CreatDr - -shaU be operated anti 
continued to the end of time by the perpetual presidence of the Com- 
forter — "the Paraclete, who shall abide with you lor ever." (John xiv. 
16-26.) The one characteristic, in short, of the third portion of the 
Bible, is the application of all that precedes it to the vants and neces- 
sities of man considered as a being responsible to God. To the Jews the 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 251 

Contents of "The .4cts." 



use of the old law and ceremonial as leading up to the belief in Christ, and 
the necessity for the gospel events, are pointed out. To the Gentiles 
the new covenant is broadly exhibited and offered. It is a commentary 
upon the two former portions — and such a commentary as it is not 
possible, without calling in question the whole of inspiration, to gainsay. 

1 150. Wh}^ was the book of the Acts of the Apostles 
Tvritten ? 

Because it was of the utmost importance in the early 
times of the gospel, and certainly not of less importance to 
every subsequent age, to have an authentic account of the 
promised descent of the Holy Ghost and of the success 
which attended the first preachers of the gospel, both among 
the Jews and Gentiles. 

115L These great events completed the evidence of the divine 
mission of Christ, established the truth of the religion which he taught, 
and pointed out in the clearest manner the comprehensive nature of the 
redemption which he purchased with his death. 

(Ecumenius calls the "Acts" the "Gospel of the Holy Ghost;" and 
St. Chrysostom, the "Gospel of our Savior's Resurrection." Here, in the 
lives and preaching of the apostles we have the most miraculous instances 
of the power of the Holy Ghost, and in the account of those who 
were the 6rst believers the most excellent pattern of the true Christian 
life. 

I 1 52. Wh^ rvas he hook of the ''Acts of the Apostles** 
so called? 

Because it contained a' record of the first establishment 
of the Christian Church by the apostles, or a brief account 
of some of those principal events or acts in which the leading 
apostles figured. 

1153. This book in its very beginning professes itself to be a con- 
tinuation of the gospel of St. Luke, and its style bespeaks it to be 
written by the same person. It is quoted as such by innumerable 
ancient authors, particularly by Clement of Rome, Polycarp, Irenaeus, 
Tertullian, Eusebius, and St. Jerome. It comprehends a period of about 
thirty years, but it by no means contains a general history of the 
Church during that time. The principal facts recorded in it are, the 
choice of Matthias to be an apostle in the room of the traitor Judas; 
the descent of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost; the preachings, 
miracles, and sufferings of the apostles at Jerusalem; the death of 
Stephen the first martyr; the persecution and dispersion of the first 
Christians; the preaching of the gospel in different parts of Palestine, 
especially in Samaria; the conversion of St. Paul; the call of Cornelius 
the first Gentile convert; the persecution of the Christians by Herod 
Agrippa; the mission of Paul and Barnabas to the Gentiles by the 
express command of the Holy Ghost; the decree made at Jerusalem about 
circumcision; and the latter part of the book is confined to the history 
of St. Paul, of whom St. Luke was the constant companion for several 
years. 



252 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE, 



The Ascension of Christ. 



As this account of St. Paul is not continued beyond his two years 
imprisonment in Rome, it is probable that this book was written soon 
after his release, which happened in the year 63; we may, therefore, con- 
sider the Acts of the Apostle as composed about the year 64. 

1 1 54. Wh]) did our Savior, after his resurrection, 
appear to a part of his disciples, and not to all of them? 

Because to many of. them who did not know the mystery, 
he would have seemed a phantom. For if the disciples were 
diffident and terrified, and required to touch him with their 
hands, it is easy to imagine how others would have been 
affected. 

1155. What TPas meant h\) the baptism of the Holy 
Ghost? (Actsi. 5.) 

The being cleansed and sanctified by his plentiful grates. 

1156. Why did the apostles and disciples ask, ''Wilt 
thou at this time restore the kingdom of Israel* ? 

Because up to this period they had failed to realize the 
truth that Christ's kingdom was a spiritual one, and not of 
this world, and their thoughts and hopes still lingered upon 
he restoration of the temporal sovereignty of Judea by Jesus. 

1157. Why did not our Lord undeceive his apostles 
upon this point? 

Because, evidently, the near approach of the enlighten- 
ing spirit^ — the Holy Ghost — would suffice for all require- 
ments. 

1158. Why, after Jesus Christ was taken up into 
heaven, ''and a cloud received him out of their sight,'' did 
the tTvo angels, or two men in white apparel, predict his 
reappearance in a similar manner? 

Because, in the opinion of many commentators, among 
whom are Sts. Chrysostom, Hilary, and Jerome, our Lord 
will summon the world to its last judgment by descending- in 
a cloud upon Mount Olivet. 

1159. In other passages of the Scriptures {e. g., Joel iii. 2, 12) we 
read that "The Lord will gather all nations in the valley of Jehnshaphat, 
and will plead with them there." It is this valley that separates 
Jerusalem from the mount of Olivet, and herein is a most remarkable 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 253 

The Descent of the Holy Ghost. 



coincidence — the testimony of the old dispensation corresponding with 
that of the new, and inves'fng the site of our Lord'§ ascension into 
heaven with an awful interest. If the Lord is to plead with the nations 
from Olivet, the nations must needs be in the valley of Jehoshaphat. 

1 1 60. Wh^ did the apostles and disciples remain quiet- 
l}) at Jerusalem after the ascension of our Lord into heaven? 

1 . Because being still unconfirmed in their taith, and 
deficient of many requisites for the promulgation of the 
gospel of their Master, they preferred to remain in retirement 
and seclusion. 2. Because they had received a command 
from our Lord to tarry in the holy city until the promised 
Comforter, the Holy Ghost, should descend upon them, 
and which, they were led to expect, would happen in a very 
few days. 

116L The distance from mount Olivet to Jerusalem is said (Luke 
i. 12) to be a "Sabbath-day's journey," by which is meant that distance 
which was permitted by the Mosaic law to pedestrians on the Sabbath. 
Animals, beasts of burden, being prohibited to be used upon that day, 
it was of necessity such an excursion as might be taken on foot. It was 
said to be in lenrgth one mile or 2,000 cubits. The Syrian translator 
of the New Testament puts about seven stadia for a Sabbath-day's 
journey, which is, according to the computation of the Rabbins, about 
a mile. 

1162. Wh^ did the Holy Chost descend upon the 
apostles in the form of fiery tongues ? 

Because, by the symbol of a flame or tongue of fire, was 
signified the efficacy of the apostolic doctrine, enforced as it 
should be by zeal, eloquence, and a burning charity. 

1563. The Hebrews use the ^ord tongue for anything pointed. Thus 
they say a tongue of the earth for a promontory, a fiery tongue for a 
flame in shape of a tongue. 

1 1 64. Why did the apostles consider it necessary to 
elect a successor to Judas Iscariot? 

1 . Because they deemed it expedient to preserve the 
original constitution of the apostolic college, which consisted 
of twelve persons, each of whom should have been a witness 
of the sufferings, and in particular of the resurrection of 
Jesus. 2. They were moved thereto by a particular 
prophecy in Psalm Ixix. 25, wherein the apostasy of Judas 
and the election of his successor were particularly pointed 
out. 



254 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

The Miraculous Git of Tongues. 

1165. This passage we find alluded to and quoted by St. Peter as 
a sort of authority for the act in question — "For it is written in the 
book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell 
therein: and, his bishoprick let another take." (Acts i. 20.) 

1 1 66. Wh^ did the apostles dran> lots in order to deter- 
mine their choice of a successor to Judas Iscariot? 

Because that was the recognized method of appealing to 
God, who was beheved by the resuh to signify his will. 

1167. From the circumstance related in Acts i. 15, of St. Peter's 
taking the initiative in this election of a successor to Judas Iscariot, 
some commentators infer that he was already looked upon by the other 
apostles as their leader and president. A distinction had been made by 
our Lord in favor of this apostle when he said (Luke xxii. 32), 'When 
thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren," and the above act, joined 
to the circumstance that he preached the first sermon and reaped the 
first plenteous harvest of converts, seems to favor the idea. ' 

1 1 68. Why did the apostles receive the gift of tongues ? 

Because they were thus miraculously enabled to fulfill 

the precept of Jesus, and preach the gospel to everj? creature. 

1169. Some suppose that the apostles spoke only their own tongue, 
and the miracle consisted in each one of their heaiers underfctandinj{ it 
as if they spoke it in his language. But others, such as St. Augustine, 
understand the text literally, though the apostles had not this gift on 
all occasions nor on all subjects, and therefore sometimes stood in need 
ol interpreters. 

1 1 70. IVh}) did the Holy Ghost descend upon the 
aposles at the feast of Pentecost? 

1 . Because, as that feast was the completion or end of 
the solemn paschal time, it was most appropriate as the com- 
mencing day of the Christian Church, under the direction of 
the Holy Spirit. 2. Because, under the old law, this was a 
feast of the first-fruits, and under the inspiration of the Holy 
Spirit the first converts were now made. 3. Pentecost was 
one of the three great yearly festivals in which, under he 
Jewish law, all the males were required to appear before 
God at the place of his sanctuary. 

1171. From this cause Jerusalem was full of visitors from every 
part of the then known globe, and thus the apostles had the best 
possible oDDortunity of declaring the truths of the gospel and spreading 
the faith — an opportunity of wh.ich they were enabled to avail them- 
selves in a wonderful manner. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 255 

Proselytes. 

1 I 72. Wh}) ivas the great Pentecostal act, the descent 
of the Hol^ Ghost upon the apostles, ushered in by **a sound 
from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind'' ? 

Because this noise and wind were symbols of the 
Divinity. 

1173. ''Perhaps this was a kind of thunder, accompanied with a 
great wind, which filled with terror and awe the whole company, and 
disposed them to receive the gift of heaven with humility and fervor. 
It appears to have been heard over a great part of the city, and to have 
gathered together a great crowd, who came to learn the cause. It was 
thus, also, that formerly on mount Sinai thunder and lightning, the dark 
cloud and the smoking mountain, marked the majesty of God." — (Calmet.) 

1 1 74. How many persons are supposed to have been 
present at this first miraculous descent of the Holy Ghost? 

The Scripture narrative says **about a hundred and 
twenty." This number was made up of the twelve apostles, 
the seventy disciples, and others who had been the chief 
witnesses of Christ's passion, death, and resurrection, or were 
intended to be the first missionaries of the faith. 

1175. Mary the mother of Jesus is especially mentioned, and there 
cannot be the shadow of a doubt that she was regarded by the apostles 
and disciples as specially their mother — the one link between the seen 
and the unseen worlds. 

When the apostles came to appoint the seven deacons, they ordered 
the assembly to look out among them men full of the Holy Ghost (Acts 
vi. 3), which plainly implies that there were several persons among 
them remarkable for such extraordinary gfts; yet we cannot suppose 
any time so proper for their reception of those gifts as this wonderful 
day of Pentecost. Nay, if the apostles themselves, by the imposifion 
of their hands, could communicate the Holy Ghost to those whom they 
ordained ministers in particular churches, it seems unreasonable to think 
that such persons as had been constant companions of Christ and his 
apostles, and were to be the great preachers of the gospel in several 
parts of the world, should not at this time be endowed with the like 
gifts; so that we may, with St. Chrysostom and others, be allowed 
to infer that the Holy Ghost fell not only upon the apostles, but also 
upon the hundred and twenty that were in company with them. — 
(Whitby's "Annotations.") 

1 1 76. Why are the proselytes particularly mentioned as 
among the assemblage at Jerusalem at the feast of Pente- 
cost r (Acts ii. 10.) 

Because about that period the prophecy was fulfilled, 
which said, that the Gentiles should seek access to the 
Jewish church. 



256 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



St. Peter's First Sermon. 



1177. Proselytes were, at the foundation of Christianity, to be 
found in the chief cities of the world. The Jews themselves were greatly 
dispersed, carrying with them a knoweldge of the true God, and in most 
cases a great zeal for proselytism. Very many heathens were brought 
within the Jewish pale. Thus the ground was prepared for the diyine 
seed of Christianity when it should be scattered. A very great influx 
Providence, for of the thousands converted by St. Peter's first sermon, 
of these proselytes at this particular Pentecost was clearly the work of 
and baptized immediately after, doubtless a very great number, on 
returning to their own cities, became, in a lesser degree, apostolic 
messengers of peace and salvation to their fellow-countrymen. 

Proselytes were of two kinds: — 1. He who merely undertook to 
renounce idolatry and worship the true God, honoring him, and observing 
the precepts of Noah (par. 87), was called gerseptoschab, "a proselyte 
of the gate," a foreigner allowed to dwell among Hebrews, and to have 
access on days of public worship to the outer court of the temple; 
hence called the court of the Gentiles. 2. He who was circumcised and 
observed the laws of Moses was named gersepzedek, "a proselyte of 
righteousness," but did not cease to be regarded as a foreigner; for all 
were such who sprang not from the loins of Abraham. In his epistle 
to the Ephesians (ii. 19), St. Paul declares that all these distinctions 
have come to an end. 

1 1 78. Why did St. Peter preach his first sermon? 

Because, in consequence of the report having spread that 
the disciples were speaking in various tongues, and in a most 
surprising manner, a concourse of people was brought to- 
gether, and an explanation of the miracle demanded. 

1179. The mockers, who could find a sufficient reason for the 
marvel in an attributed drunkenness,* seem to have been natives of 
Judea. The extreme improbability of the circumstance, namely, that 
the depressed and down-trodden followers of Jesus should, to the num- 
ber of a hundred and twenty, so soon exhibit themselves as the subjects 
of inebriety was no difficulty with these. There are no people so 
credulous as the unbelieving. 

1 180. Why did St, Peter and St. John continue to go 
up into the Jewish temple at the hour of prayer? (Acts 
iii. 1.) 

Because as yet the ceremonial law was not abolished, 
nor its injunctions forbidden to be followed by the converts. 

1181. This abolition was to be gradual, and would necessarily 
result with the progress of the Christian Church. But at first the 
temple, and especially the synagogue worship was to be used at the 
discretion of the neophytes. 

* "Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine." (Acts 
ii. 13.) 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 257 



A. C. 33. — The Lame Man Cured by Peter and John. 

1 182. What was the first form of worship adopted by 
the Apostles? 

We learn from Acts ii. 42, that this chiefly consisted of 
the breaking of bread and of prayer. 

1183. The form was, in the beginning, a modification of the syn- 
agogue worship. After the exclusion of the apostles from the synagogues, 
they assembled (at nightfall, principally) in the house of some Christian, 
which was lighted for the purpose with lamps (Acts xx. 8). The apostles, 
with the elders, when engaged in public worship, took a position where 
they would be most likely to be heard by all. The first act was 
merely a salutation or blessing. **The Lord be with you," or "Peace 
be with you." Then followed the doxologies and prelections, the same 
as in the synagogues. A discourse followed. Prayer, the Lord's Supper, 
and a collection for the poorer members of the flock concluded thu 
meetings. — (Jahn.) 

1 1 84. Wh^ did the apostles Peter and John heal the 
lame man? (Acts iii. 7.) 

Because, having asked an alms of them, which their 
poverty precluded their bestowing upon him, they took occa- 
sion to exercise on his behalf the merciful powers of their 
ministry healing him in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 

1185. Wh}) did the apostles invoke Jesus ''of Naza- 
reth,'' when our Lord was really of Bethlehem ? 

Because he was better known to the people of Judea 
under that appellaton than by any other. 

1 1 86. Wh^ did St. Peter hereupon preach his second 
sermon ? 

This was the hour of prayer, and it may appear remark- 
able that the apostle should risk a general interruption of the 
service by preaching; but a concourse of people had been 
drawn together by the miracle worked upon the lame man, 
and to these, in answer to their interrogations, the sermon 
was addressed. 

1 187. Wh}) did the rulers of the Jews imprison Peter 
and John ? 

They affected to have some proper doubts as to the 
spirit under which the apostles acted in curing the lame man. 

1188. "They wished to know, by examining them, by what power 
they had done this miracle — whether it was a true miracle, or done by 
the power of magic or enchantment. The cognizance of this Jcind of 



258 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 33. — First Persectuion ol the Church. 



affairs belonged to thenic It was their duty to repress the attempts of 
false prophets, seducers, and magicians." — (Calmet.) 

The principal agents, however, in this first imprisonment of the 
apostles ' were the Sadducees, who, as opponents of the doctrine of a 
future life, were hurt by their preaching the resurrection of Jesus 
Christ. 

1189. Why is the ''boldness' of Peter and John 
specially remarked upon by the evangelist John? 

Because it was a noteworthy circumstance, as illus- 
trating an effect of the pentecostal gifts. 

1190. The conduct of St. Peter in the hall of Caiaphas, when his 
master was upon his trial, and the conduct of the same apostle after he 
had received the plenitude of the pentecostal gifts, cannot escape notice. 

In the hall he is so timid and fearful, that when charged by a 
mere female domestic with being a disciple, he forgets all, even his 
Divine Master's actual presence and recent warnings, and protests that he 
knows him not. While he incurs no greater risk than that of being 
thought one of his followers, he is overpowered with alarm, and -seeks 
to secure his personal safety at the expense of truth and charity. 
But a few weeks afterwards he appears again in the presence of the 
same Caiaphas. On the former occasion his principal care was to 
elude danger by passing himself off as not belonging to Christ; now, 
arraigned before the tribunal of that cruel and iniquitous judge, as the 
head and leader of the new sect, he is altogether another man. He 
appears without fear. He addresses the court in words which show 
that concern for himself was no longer what it had been, a governing 
principle; but that, on the contrary, he was now as fearless in asserting 
himself to be a preacher of the new religion, as he had once Been 
fearful of appearing a mere disciple. 

The city of Jerusalem, from one end to the other, is in an uproar. 
The boldness of the apostles in propagating the religion of one who 
had been put to death by sentence of the civil power must be curbed 
and punished. Already the conversions from the old religion numbered 
"about five thousand men," and the number of women, if then as they 
are usually found to be, was, probably, very much greater in proportion. 
Penalties must be had recourse to, to put a stop to a state of things 
which was destroying the ancient religion of the country, working havoc 
in every direction, dividing husbands from their wives, parents from 
their children, and uprooting society as hitherto constituted from its 
very foundation. The author of all this had been put to death upon 
the cross. His followers, led by Peter and John, now braved them 
at the very gate of the temple, preaching "through Jesus the resurrec- 
tion of the dead." 

1191. Why Tvere the apostles dismissed without punish- 
ment ? 

Because the council stood in awe of the vast multitude 
which followed them and believed their doctrine. 

1192. They therefore contented themselves with threatening them. 
Here commences the history of the first persecution of religious opinion, 
which the passions of men have continued and swelled to such a frightful 
length. But on this, as on all other occasions, it has defeated its own 
purpose by adding firmness and constancy to the persecuted. Truth is 
not to be overpowered by violence. When did men learn that charity 
and kindness is the principle of conversion? 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 259 

A.C. 33. — Gamaliel's Tolerant Advice. 

1 193. Wh^ rvas St. Barnabas so named? 

Because he was the first of the disciples who set the 
example of a community of goods, selling his possessions, 
and laying the proceeds at the feet of the apostles. 

1194. This disciple was named Joseph, or Joses. The surname of 
Barnabas — signifying the son of consolation — was bestowed upon him by 
he apostles to commemorate his charity. 

According to Oriental usage, when any present or offering is made 
to a superior, spiritual guide, or distinguished scholar, it is not placed 
in his hands, but laid at his feet. It is called "the feet-offering." Ananias 
and Sapphira brought a part of the price of the land they had sold, "and 
aid it at the apostle's feet." 

1 195. Why rvas so severe a punishment inflicted upon 
Ananias and Sapphira? (Acts v.) 

Because the intrusion into the infant church of such 
hideous vices as hypocrisy and avarice called" for a most 
signal rebuke. 

1196. Ananias and his wife had made a promise, or vow, to put into 
the common stock the price of what they had to sell. When they had sold 
the field they resolved by mutual consent to keep for their private use 
part of the money, and to bring in the rest as if they had received no 
more. The whole price being promised, and by that means consecrated 
to God, St. Augustine calls it a sacrilegious fraud, and St. Chrysostom, 
a theft of what was already made to sacred to God. St. Augustine adds: 
— "I can believe that God spared them after this life, for his mercy is 
great. They were stricken with the scourge of death ,that they might not 
be subject to eternal punishment." — (St. Augustine Serm. 148.) 

1 197. Why did the apostles use ''Solomon s porch'' as 
a place of meeting ? (Acts v. 12.) 

Because this was outside the temple, a large place, open 
to all, Jews and Gentiles, pure and impure. 

1198. They could here readily speak to large multitudes, and were not 
liable to be interfered with by the priests; who, had they been within the 
temple, would frequently have interrupted them, and soon have put them 
to silence. — (Calmet.) 

1 199. Who was Gamaliel? (Acts v. 32.) 
He was a Jew, an influential member of the Sanhedrim ; 
some suppose secretly a Christian, but who used his power in 
favor of a tolerant policy, and as such is most worthy to be 
remembered. 

1200. Gamaliel's advice to the Jews furnishes the best possible 
exammple of political wisdom in regard to religious matters. "Let them 
alone, for if this counsel, or this work, be of men it will come to naught; 
but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it, lest happily ye be found even to 



260 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 33. — Martyrdom of St. Stephen. 



fight against God." Gamaliel was the master of St. Paul, Barnabas, 
Stephen and others. He afterwards publicly professed the Christian faith. 

1201. Wh^ "Were the seven deacons appointed? 
(Acts vi.) 

Because the increasing work of the apostles rendered it 
necessary that they should be relieved from a superintend- 
ence of the temporal affairs of the Church. 

1202. The apostles did not judge it proper for them to be so much 
employed in managing the common stock, out of which every one as he 
stood in need was supplied, as to meat and other necessaries. This is 
what is meant by the words, *'It is not reason that we should leave the 
word of God, and serve tables." (Acts vi. 2.) Accordingly Stephen and 
the other deacons were placed over these matters, the apostles giving 
themselves '^continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word." 

1203. Who Tvas St, Stephen? 

He was probably one of the Hellenistical Jews that 
believed. 

1204. Epiphanius thinks he was of the number of the seventy dis- 
ciples; but these were appointed to teach and preach: whereas it seems 
that Stephen and his brother deacons had not that particular designation, 
but were chosen *'to serve tables." — (Calmet.) 

The above opinion from Calmet seems to be contradicted by the 
text, which shows how grandly and movingly Stephen could preach. His 
sermon is a model of eloquence. 

1205. Wh}; rvas St. Stephen put to death? 
Because his great merits and powerful advocacy of the 

gospel doctrine drove the Jewish leaders into a momentary 
insanity of rage, under the influence of which, and against 
every form of law or justice, they stoned him. 

1206. The proto-martyr of Christianity was gffted with extraordinary 
powers. His miracles, although not specifically recorded were of a resist- 
less kind. Added to which his exalted character was such that it com- 
municated itself to his countenance — "Looking steadfastly upon him they 
saw his face as it had been the face of an angel" (Acts vi. 15). This 
miracle of a luminous countenance is recorded of only two other persons 
in the Scriptures: of Moses, after his return from the mount of God; and 
of Jesus Christ at his transfiguration. 

The martyrdom of St. Stephen is particularly noteworthy, as intro- 
ducing the future Apostle of the Gentiles. "And they stoned Stephen, 
calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus receive my spirit; and the wit- 
nesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was 
Sauir 

1207. Who was St, Paul? 

He was the l5st chosen of the apostles, but as an evan- 
gelist, or preacher of the gospel, the most eminent of them all. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



261 



Character of St. Paul. 



The history of St. Paul is readily collected from the sacred text; its 
leading particulars are here recapitulated. He was an Israelite, of the 
tribe of Benjamin, born in Tarsus, of parents who are thought to have 
been opulent. That he was taught a trade was due to the custom by which 
every Jew was bound. St. Paul's father enjoyed the right of Roman 
citizenship, but whether he acquired it by some act of utility to Rome, or 
inherited it from an ancestor, is not known. The apostle had a sister and 
a nephew; he mentions other kinsmen in Rom. xvi. 11, 13, 21 (''Salute 
Herodion my kinsman; Rufus, chosen in the Lord and his mother and 
mine; Lusius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you"). 

The first elements of his education were received in his native city, 
but as he was intended for a Rabbi, he was at an early age sent to Jeru- 
salem and put under the care of Gamaliel. He proved a successful scholar 
of his master, being of an ardent natural temperament, eager for knowl- 
edge, pressing forward to gain distinction, spurning all half measures and 
compromises, seizing the principles of the 
Pharisees in all their comprehensiveness, and 
bold to carry them out into every possible 
application. 

The history of this apostle's labors 
forms the chief subject of the narrative por- 
tion of the "Acts." St. Paul remained un- 
married, and from his frequent commenda- 
tions of the state of celibacy, he appears to 
have thought it preferable for the condition 
of an apostle. 



1208. What n>ere the charac- 
teristics of St. PauVs personal ap- 
pearance ?^ 

He Is represented as a man of 
low stature, and inclining to stoop; 
of a grave countenance and a fair 
complexion. 



1209. St. Chrysostom contrasting the 
low stature of St. Paul with the grandeur of 
his eloquence says: — "This man of three 
cubits in height, was tall enough to touch 
the heavens." Lucian, in his satires, ridi- 
cules the personal appearance of the apostle 
as the "high-nosed, bald-pated Galilean." 
From his frequent allusions to his "infirmi- 
ties" (Gal. iv. 13), it has been conjectured ST. PAUL, 
that his constitution was weak. St. Jerome 

says that he was afflicted with a constant headache. Others mention his 
weak eyes and defective utterance. If these latter were natural afflictions 




* The portrait here annexed must be taken as rather an ideal, than an 
actual one. Very few, if any, actual portraits of the first founders of 
Christianity exist. 



262 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 34. — Conversion of St. Paul. 



they must have been greatly overcome, since he was beyond all dispute one 
of the most perfect masters of elocuton that the world ever saw. Longinus 
reckons him among the greatest orators of antiquity; and at Lystra he was 
regarded by the enthusiastic pagans as Mercury, the tutelar god of- elo- 
quence. (Acts xiv. 12.) 

1210. IVh^ TDas St. PduU although a Pharisee and be- 
longing to the opulent classes of the Hebrews, said to be a 
tent-maker ? 

Because it was a practice with the Jews, even of the 
best educated and wealthier ranks, to teach their children 
some trade. 

12n. The tent-making of this apostle has been held by some modern 
writers to have been a making, or weaving of tent-cloth; St. Paul being a 
Cilician, a country which produced a species of rough-haired goats, from 
which the Cilicians manufactured a thick and coarse cloth much used for 
tents. The Fathers, however, say that he made military tents, the ma'^terial 
of which was skiis. This view throws some light upon the apostle's inti- 
mate acquaintaenc with military manners and equipage, references to which 
are so frequent in his epistles. 

1212. Wh^ did Saul, aftertpards Paul, persecute the 
Christians Tvith such excessive hatred? 

Because of the natural vehemence of his character and 
of his entire devotion to the Jewish ceremonial and worship. 

1213. In Gal. i. 13, 14, St. Paul thus expresses his position at that 
time: — "For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' 
religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the Church of God, and 
wasted it. 

"And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine 
own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my 
fathers." 

1214. Hon} rvas St. Paul converted? 

Being upon a journey to Damascus, with authoritative 
letters from the chief priests to arrest any Christians whom 
he might find there, he was miraculously stopped by a voice 
from heaven, and struck blind and helpless to the ground. 

1215. St. Luke says: — "And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and 
slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest. 

"And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if ^e 
found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might br'.ng 
them bound to Jerusalem. 

"And as he journeyed he came near Damascus; and suddenly there 
shined round about him a light from heaven. 

"And he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him Saul I 
Saul! why persecutes! thou me? 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLEr. 263 

A.C, 34-37. — The Crime of Simon Magus. 

"And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus 
whom thou persecutest; it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 

"And he, trembling and astonished, said, Lord what will thou have 
me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, 
and it shall be told thee what thou must do." (Acts ix. 1-6.) 

1216. Why is the appellation *'Saul of Tarsus*' sig- 
nificant ? 

Because it informs us of the superior character of St. 
Paul as a scholar previous to his conversion; Tarsus being 
then the most celebrated seat of science and polite learning, 
and in this respect surpassing Athens and Alexandria. 

1217. How long TV as St, Paul in retirement after his 
baptism, and previous to the commencement of his apostle- 
ship? 

The phrase *'many days" (Acts ix. 23), is explained 
in Gal. i. 17, I 8, to signify about three years. 

1218. "Neither went I up to Jerusalem . . , ; but I went into Arabia, 
and returned again unto Damascus. Then, after three years, I went up to 
Jerusalem to see Peter." St. Paul made this retirement a means of 
preparation for the great work to which he had been called. 

1219. Why is the crime of *'simony** derived from 
Simon Magus? 

Because that magician offered money to the apostles 
ill order to induce them to bestow upon him the supernatural 
powers of the apostleship; and the purchase of ecclesiastical' 
faculties has ever been held as profane and sacrilegious. 

1220. Why was Philip the deacon, after he had bap- 
tized the eunuch, caught up by the Spirit of the Lord and 
carried to Azotus? 

Because it was necessary that he should be transferred 
to the scene of his regular ministrations at onee, which, ac- 
cording to the natural order of thinngs could not be. 

1221. This IS one of those miraclous events which are occasionally 
overlooked by readers; yet it is not less clear than wonderful, that the 
deacon, after baptizing the Ethiopian officer, was conveyed by the hand of 
God over the large space of country that intervened between Gaza and 
Csesarea. 

1222. Who was Dorcas or Tabitha, whom St, Peter 
restored to life? (Acts ix. 40.) 



264 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 41. — Cornelius Converted. 

She was a pious woman of Joppa, who with others, 
widows Hke herself, had formed a charitable association for 
alms-deeds and good works. (Acts ix. 36.) 

1223. Wh^ rvas Cornelius the centurion, although not 
even a professor of Judaism, called '*a devout man and one 
that feared God'' ? (Acts x. 2.) 

Because he was in what is termed **good faith,'* i, e., he 
he was a worshiper of God according to the light he had, 
and with a just intention. 

1224. Cornelius religiously observed the law of nature, and the 
principal points of the Jewish moral law, though he did not profess 
Judaism. — (Calmet.) 

God was so well pleasc|d with the pure intention of Cornelius, that he 
vouchsafed to work several miracles as means to his conversion. H^ him- 
self has visions; St. Peter has them also; and the Holy Ghost assists 
personally at their reception into the Christian fold. — (Brown.) 

1225. Wh^ did disputes occur upon the reception of 
Cornelius into the Church? 

Because the ceremony of circumcision was dispensed 
with in his case, St Peter deeming it unnecessary for Chris- 
tians. 

1226. This matter was fully discussed a little later, and authoritatively 
settled by what is known as the first council of Jerusalem. 

1227. B}) Tvhat name Tvere the follorvers of Christ 
generally knorvn previously to their taking the name of 
Christians ? 

They had been called Nazarenes, Galileans, and dis- 
ciples of Jesus, 

1228. This honorable name of Christians first bestowed at Antioch 
(Acts xi. 26), distinguished them from Jews and Gentiles, and from all 
heretical sects who were mostly known by the name of their founders. 

1229. Why is the famine predicted by Agahus, the 
Christian prophet (Acts xi. 28), remarkable? 

Because it was one of the events which, according to the 
warning prediction of our Lord, was to precede the formal 
destruction of Jerusalem.* 

• "And there shall be famines and pestilences ... in divers places.* — 
(Matt, xxiv.) 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 265 

A.C. 44. — ^Herod Smitten with Death. 



1230. In the reign of Claudius there were four seasons of famine; that 
alluded to in the above passage took place during the procuratorship of 
Fadus. A.C. 45, and continued under his successor, Tiberius. The Jews 
suffered greatly from its effects. — (Josephus, Antiq. xx. i. 1, 2.) 

1231. Wh^ Were the collections required to be made 
for the poor Christians in Judea? (Acts xi. 29.) 

1 . On account of the famine. 2. Most of the Chris- 
tians in Jurasalem had generously sold their possessions, and 
placed the price in the hands of the apostles; and many who 
had not voluntarily relinquished their property had probably 
lost most of it in the persecutions. Hence arose the par- 
ticular distress of the brethren in Jerusalem, to relieve which 
the Gentiles made collections. 

1232. Why n)as Herod (Agrippa /.) eaten of n>orms? 
Because of his blasphemous acceptance of the flattery of 

the Jews, who hailed him as a god. 

1233. This Herod was the son of Aristobulus and Mariamne, and 
grandson of Herod the Great. He had been educated at Rome, and on 
account of certain services rendered to Claudius, was by him appointed 
to the government of Judea and the kingdom of Chalcis, which had been 
possessed by Herod his brother. Thus Agrippa became one of the greatest 
princes of the East. To ingratiate himself with the Jews, he put to death 
the apostle St. James, and cast St. Peter into prison with the same design. 
By a miraculous interposition the latter was rescued from his hands. At 
Cssarea he had games instituted in honor of Claudius. Here the inhab- 
itants of Tyre and Sidon waited on him to sue for peace. Herod, being 
come early in the morning into the theater with a design to give them an 
audience, seated himself upon a throne dressed in a robe of silver tissue, 
worked in the most admirable manner. The rays of the morning's sun 
gave it such a dazzling appearance, that when the king began his speech 
to the Tyrians and Sidonians, the parasites around him exclaimed, "It is 
the voice of a god, and not of a man." Instead of rejecting these impious 
flatteries, Herod received them with an air of complacency; and the angel 
of the Lord smote him, because he did not give God the glory. Being, 
therefore, carried home to his palace, he died at the end of five days, 
racked with tormenting pains in his bowels, and devoured with worms. 
This was in a.d. 44. Herod had reigned seven years; he left a son of the 
same name, and three daughters — Berenice, who was married to her 
uncle Herod, her father's brother; Marriamne, and Drusilla. 

1234. Why is it mitten (Acts xiii. 2), ''The Holy 
Chost said. Separate rve Barnabas and Saul for the work 
Tvhereunto I have called them'' ? 

Because, although ministers were to be called to their 
work by the Holy Ghost, they were to be separated from the 
rest of men by some human means or ceremonies. 

1235. This the following verse shows :— "And when they had^ fasted, 
and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.'^ This 



266 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 44. — Elymus Struck with Blindness. 



human agency, being the result of a divine direction, is to be consid- 
ered as done by God himself. **So they, being sent forth by the Holy 
Ghost, departed into Seleucia, and from thence sailed to Cyprus." (Acts 
xiii. 4.) 

1236. Wh^ is SL Pauls visit to Cyprus interesting? 
(Acts xiii. 7.) 

1 . On account of the conversion of Sergius Paulus, its 
Roman pro-consul. 2. On account of the change which 
there took place in the name of the great apostle, who was 
henceforth called Paul. 

1237. Wh^ was the name of Saul exchanged for that 
of Paul? 

There are two opinions upon this subject. The first is, 
that letter P was substituted for the S, in accommodation 
to the Roman sense of elegance. The second is, that the 
apostle assumed the name of Paul in compliment to Sergius 
Paulus, his illustrious convert. 

1238. St. Luke's narrative of the visit to Cyprus receives a collateral 
proof of its exact truthfulness from Roman history. Under the republic, 
Cyprus had been governed by a pro-praetor, not by a pro-consul. But 
under Augustus the status of that island was raised from a praetorian to a 
consular or senatorial province; and under the first emperors it was 
governed by pro-consuls. This is proved by coins of the period. 

1239. Wh^ is El])mas the sorcerer, or Barjesus^ said to 
have been Tvith Sergius Paulus the governor? 

In all probability the latter, although a heathen, was m 
some degree impressed with the necessity of a belief in the 
true God, and associated much with the Jews, who were very 
numerous at Cyprus, and with Elymas, as one of the most 
astute among them. 

1 240. Wh^ Tvas Elymas, the sorcerer^ struck ^^iih blind- 
ness ? 

Because he opposed himself to the work of the apostles 
in Cyprus, and particularly to the conversion of Sergius 
Paulus. 

1241. The subsequent conversion of the pro-consul leads us to infer 
that he was in good faith seeking for a knowledge of the truth. No sooner 
does he learn that the apostles are preaching through the island than he 
desires "to hear the word of God" (Acts xiii. 7). Elymas, on the con- 
trary neither loved the truth himself nor desired that his patron Sergius 



KNOWLEIXiE OF THE BIBLE. 267 



A.C. 45.— St. Paul at Antioch. 



should embrace it. To the old enmity of a bigotted Jew he added the 
virulence of a false prophet, "A child of the devil, an enemy of all 
righteousness" (Acts xiii. 10); and accordingly he set himself to withstand 
the apostles, ''seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith." 

1242. Why Tvas the blindness inflicted upon El^mas 
said to he for a season ? 

Because its object was the conversion of the pro-consul 
rather than the punishment of the false prophet. 

1243. Wh]) did Paul and Barnabas, at the synagogue 
of Antioch, Tvait to be bidden before preaching to the people? 

Because this being the first occasion which the former 
took to address his countrymen publicly, St. Paul was anx- 
ious in all respects to conciliate them by a rigid observance 
of their routine. 

1244. The practice was, when the reader had done, if he wished to 
preach or exhort, or to follow up his reading by a commentary, for him to 
approach the desk or pulpit and sit down; this the two apostles seem to 
have done, and moved probably by the spirit of God, the rulers of the 
synagogue perceived their wish to address the assembly, and requested 
them to do so. If the Jews on this occasion failed to benefit by the 
sermon, and allowed its fruit to be gathered by their Gentile neighbors, 
the fault was their own. — (Brown.) 

1245. Why is St. Paul's first sermon at Antioch (Acts 
xiii. 1 4—4 1 ) especially remarl^able ? 

1 . Because of the circumstances accompanying its deliv- 
ery. 2. Of its transcendent beauty, exhibiting as it does, 
in very few words, an epitome of God's dealings with the 
Jewish people, from the time of their departure from Egypt 
down to the moment when it was addressed to his hearers by 
the apostle. 

1246. The Jews, however, seem to have been very little affected by it. 
Its results, as far as the Gentiles were concerned, were great and glorious. 
In Acts xiii. 42, it is stated, "And when the Jews were gone out of the 
synagogue the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to 
them the next Sabbath." 



,'*And the next Sabbath-day came almost the whole city together to 
hear the word of God. 

"But when the Jews saw the multitudes they were filled with envy, 
and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting 
and blaspheming. 

''Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary 
that the word of God should first have been spoken to you, but seeing ye 
put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we 
turn to the Gentiles. 



268 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 46. — The Apostles at Lystra. 



"For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a 
light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldst be tor salvation unto the ends of 
the earth. 

"And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the 
word of the Lord; and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. 

"And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region." 

1 247. Wh]) did Saints Paul and Barnabas depart from 
Antioch? 

Because of the persecution raised through the intrigues of 
the Jews with the chief men of the city. 

1248. The apostles did not deem it prudent to remain in the face of 
this opposition; and accordingly, following the directions laid down by our 
Savior (John xvil 22), they shook off the dust from their feet and went to 
Iconium, a town of Asia Minor, the capital of Lycaonia. Here a great 
multitude of souls, both Jews and Greeks, were converted, 

1249. Why did the Apostles go to Lystra? 

Because the unbelieving portion of the Jews of Iconium 
raised a tumult similar to that at Antioch, and drove them 
from the town. 



1250. Our Lord had commanded them, "when they persecute you in 
one city flee to another.'' They therefore departed from Iconium, and 
came to the above-named city, which was also in Lycaonia. 

1251. Why did the people of Lystra attempt to sacrifice 
to Paul and Barnabas as to gods? 

Because of the miracle which the apostles wrought upon 
the person of the impotent man *'a cripple from his mother's 
womb, who had never walked," and whom they restored 
in the name of Jesus to perfect soundness. 

1252. The enraptured people wished to pay divine honors to St. Paul 
and St. Barnabas, regarding the latter as Jupiter, and his brother apostle 
as Mercury, "because he was the chief speaker." These honors were of 
course rejected with horror and aversion, St. Paul, taking occasion to pro- 
claim the necessity of a true faith in the one only supreme God, and the 
folly of idolatry. The mistake of the Lystrans is worthy of a passing 
reflection. We hereby get a glimpse of the relative appearances of the 
two apostles. St. Barnabas was a fine and imposing looking man; on which 
account the heathens considered him a proper representative of Jupiter, the 
principal deity of their fabulous pantheon. St. Paul was the fluent and 
eloquent speaker. He was therefore Mercury, the companion and attendant 
of Jupiter. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 269 



A.C. 51-53. — The Frst Council of Jerusalem. 

1253. Wh^ did the people of Ly^stra stone Saints Paul 
and Barnabas? 

Because certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, dog- 
ging the steps of the apostles, incited them to do so. 

1254. Here a miracle was worked by the hand of God in favor of the 
great apostle. St. Paul had been stoned, dragged to the gates of Lystra, 
and left for dead. But as the disciples stood around about weeping and 
lamenting for their beloved father, "he rose up" apparently unhurt, "and 
entered the city — and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe." 
In order also to show to the unbelieving Jews how utterly futile was their 
miserable opposition to the spread of the apostolic doctrine, St. Paul after 
visiting the adjacent cities, "returned to Lystra, and to Iconium, and to 
Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to con- 
tinue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into 
the kingdom of God." 

1255. Wh^ did Saints Paul and Barnabas go up to 
Jerusalem? (Acts xv.) 

Because of certain disputes raised by the half -converted 
Jews touching circumcision, and to determine which a coun- 
cil of the apostles was required. / 

1256. It was the purpose of the new law to supersede and gradually 
to abolish the old. But the spirit of the gospel was one of gentleness and 
condescension. Hence the converts from Judaism were indulged with the 
permission to continue many of the practices to which they had been 
accustomed. Among these was circumcision. Some of the Hebrews, not 
content with this permission, wished to impose the rite upon their Gentile 
brethren; disputes upon this point then arose, a«id an authoritative inter- 
ference by the apostolic college was rendered necessary. 

I 257. Wh}) at this first council of Jerusalem did ''Peter 
rise up and speal^'' first? 

Because he was regarded as the most venerable, and sat 
as a kind of president. 

1258. Wh^ Tvas the rite of circumcision declared un- 
necessary for the Gentile converts ? 

Because it had been intended as a distinguishing mark 
between the Jew and the Gentile ; and the necessity for such 
a distinction now no longer existed, since the gospel was 
preached equally to both. 

1259. Wh\f were the Gentile converts desired to keep 
themselves from meat offered to idols, from things strangled, 
and from blood? 



270 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 53.— The Church in Lydia's House. 

Because, although the use of these things might be in- 
different in themselves, their abstinence from them would 
induce the Jews the more readily to admit the society of the 
Gentiles, and it would be a means to exercise the latter in 
obedience. 

1260. But this obligation was but temporary, and after the first ages 
was abrogated throughout the whole Western Church. 

1261. Wh^ did St Paul impose the rite of circum- 
cision upon Timothy, rvhose father was a Gentile? 

Because the apostle wished his pupil to be equally ac- 
ceptable to both Jews and Greeks. 

1262. Why after preaching and confirming the disciples 
in Phrygia and Galatia, did the Holy Ghost forbid the 
apostles Paul and Silas to continue longer in Asia? 

Because it was the purpose of God to send them into 
Europe, in order to introduce the faith there. 

1263. Accordingly, coming to Troas, **A vision apepared to Paul in the 
night: There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, 'Come 
over into Macedonia, and help us.' And after he had seen the vision 
(Paul and Silas) assuredly gathering that the Lord had called them to 
preach the gospel unto the Macedonians." 

They set out from Troas, pass by Samothracia, and the next day came 
to Neapolis. "And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that 
part of Macedonia, and a colony, and they were in that city abiding 
certain days." (Acts xvi. 9-12.) 

1264. Why are the apostles at Philippi represented as 
meeting the Jewish people without the city by a river-side? 
(Acts xvi. 13.) 

Because there was no synagogue at Philippi. The 
Jews in the absence of a synagogue, worshiped in some con- 
venient place. 

1265. Who wasLydia? (Acts xvi 14, 15.) 

She was a dealer in purple, or in vests dyed purple, the 
disposal of which formed the staple trade of Philippi, a city 
of Macedonia. 

1266. Lydia was a native of Thyatira, a proselyte to the Jewish 
religion, who, upon the preaching of St. Paul, became a zealous convert to 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 271 



A.C. 53. — Nature of the Roman Prisons. 



the Christian faitli. In the places where, owing to the smallness of their 
number, or the intolerance of the magistrates, the Jews had no synagogue, 
they were accustomed to meet together for worship without the gates of 
the city, beneath the roof sometimes of a private house, or in the open 
air beneath the shade of a tree, or near the margin of a river. It was in 
one of these asesmblies that Lydia heard the apostles preach, and to whom 
she offered hospitality. Her offer was pressed with such fervor that St. 
Paul was constrained to accept it, and hence the house of Lydia became the 
first Christian church of Philippi. 

1267. What Tvere the causes of the persecutions at 
Philippi? (Acts xvi. 16.) 

The apostles having been accosted by a young girl who 
was possessed by an evil spirit, which declared openly 
through her the divine mission of St. Paul, they exorcised 
the demon and thus embittered her employers, who had been 
in the receipt of great sums through her powers of divination. 

1268. St. Paul and Silas brought themselves into great trouble by the 
performance of their duty upon this occasion; but herein they followed to 
the letter the precepts of Jesus Christ, who would never permit the 
demons to testify to his divinity. 

1269. Wh\), after scourging the apostles and thrusting 
them into prison, did the magistrates of Philippi entreat them 
to depart in freedom? 

Because should this be known at Rome the Philippian 
officials might suffer the loss of their positions, their pros- 
perity and perhaps death itself. 

1270. What was the nature of the prisons into which 
the apostles and first Christians were cast? 

This will be understood by a consideration of the follow- 
ing details which are extracted from the Martyrologies. 

1271. The state prison was arranged on one and the same plan 
throughout the Roman empire-^in other words, throughout the anient 
world. It was commonly attached to the government buildings, and con- 
sisted of two parts. The first was the vestibule, or outward prison, which 
was a hall approached from the praetorium, and surrounded by cells open- 
ing into it. The prisoners who were confined in these had the benefit of 
the air and light which the hall admitted. Such was the place of confine- 
ment allotted to St. Paul at Caesarea, which is said to be "Herod's judg- 
ment-hall." 

From the vestibule there was a passage into the interior prison, called 
robur or the stocks, from the beams of wood, which were the instruments 
of confinement, or from the character of its floor. // had no window or 
outlet except this door, which, when closed, absolutely shut out light and 
air. Air, indeed, and coolness might be obtained by the barathrum pres- 



272 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 54. — The Bereans Commended. 



ently to be spoken of, but of what nature will then be seen. This apart- 
ment called the stocks, was the place into which St. Paul and Silas were 
cast at Philippi before it was known that they were Romans. After 
scourging them severely, the magistrates, who nevertheless were but the 
local authorities, and had no proper jurisdiction in criminal cases, "cast 
them into prison charging the jailer to keep them safely; who, having 
thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks." 
received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their 
feet fast in the stocks." (Acts xvi. 23, 34.) 

The utter darkness, the heat, and the stench of this miserable place, in 
which the inmates were confined day and night, is often dwelt upon by the 
martyrs and their biogiaphers. "After a few days we were taken to the 
prison, and I was frightened, for I had never known such darkness. O 
bitter day! the heat v(as excessive by reason of the crowd there." **We 
were not frightened at the foul darknss of that place; for soon that murky 
prison was radiant with the brightness of the Spirit. What days, what 
nights we passed there no words can describe. The torments of that prison 
no statement can equal." Such are a few of the expressions scattered 
over the Martyrologies. 

Yet there was a place of confinement even worse than this. In the floor 
of the inner prison was a sort of trap-door, or hole, opening into th^ 
barathrum * or pit, and called, from the original at Rome, the Tullianum. 
Sometimes prisoners were confined here: sometimes despatched by being 
cast headlong into it through the opening. It was into such a pit as this 
that the prophet Jeremiah was put by Zedekiah the king. "Then they 
took Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of 
Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jere- 
miah with cords. And in the dungeons there was no water, but mire: so 
Jeremiah sunk in the mire." (Jer. xxxviii. 6.) 

1 272. Wh]) rvere the Bereans commended as more noble 
than those of Thessalonica in that the^ searched the 
Scriptures? (Acts xvii. 11.) 

St. Paul had, according to his ordinary custom, been 
exhorting the Jews of those parts out of the Scripture prophe- 
cies, proving from them that Jesus was the Messiah. Upon 
which the Thessalonian Jews raised a tumult, while those of 
Berea betook themselves to the perusal of the prophetical 
writings, thereby testing the accuracy of the apostle's refer- 
ences. 

1273. When the latter addressed their countrymen they almost invaria- 
bly appealed to these writings, which was not the case when they preached 
to the Gentiles, to whom, of course, the Jewish Scriptures were little 
known. The result in the case of the Bereans was, that "many of them 
believed; also of honorable women, which were Greeks, and of men not 
a few." 

* Barathrum, from barathron, a deep pit at Athens into which crim- 
inals were cast. Besides being a kind of cesspool for the prison, its sides 
were sometimes furnished with hooks and knives which wounded the bodies 
of the victims as they descended. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



273 



A.C. 54-56.— The Altar to the "Unknown God." 



1274. What was the Areopagus? (Acts xvii. 19.) 
It was the supreme and most famous tribunal of all 
Greece, before which all important causes were tried. 

1275. The persons who composed it were much renowned for their 
wisdom. Cicero, and many other Romans were ambitious of the honor of 
bein^ an Areopagite; but the power of Athens being now much diminished, 
this court had sunk in importance, and was, in St. Paul's time, little more 
than the shadow of a great name. — (Calmet.) 

1276. Wh}) did the Athenians set up an altar to an 
*' Unknown Cod''? 

They were, in the words of Scripture*, **too superstitious,'* 
and set it up lest, among 
the hundreds of altars 
erected in various parts 
of the city to all the 
idols of "whom they had 
heard, they should have 
omitted to honor some 
one unknorvn to them by 
name, but of whom they 
stood in dread. 

1277. What were 
the Epicurean and Stoic 
philosophies? Acts xvii. 
18.) 




VOTIVE TEMPLE, ATHENS. 



The former of these was very much the same as that 
of the modern deists. Its followers held that the Almighty 
did not interfere by his providence in the government of the 
world; that the soul did not subsist after the body; and, 
consequently that there was no future state of retribution. 
The lattter denied that man had liberty of action, and main- 
tained that all ihings happened by destiny and fatal neces- 
sity. 

1278. Who was Dionysius the Areopagite? 

He was the most illustrious of the converts made by St. 
Paul at Athens. 

1279. He became Bishop of Athens, and was the same person who, 
according to Estius, had, upon observing the remarkable convulsions of 



274 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 54-56. — St. Paul works as a Tenta-maker. 

nature coincident with the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross, and not 
knowing the cause, exclaimed, ''Either the universe is falling to ruin or 
the God of Nature must be suffering." 

1280. Who were Aquila and Priscilla? (Acts xviii. 

They were of the Jewish nation, converts to Christianity, 
and, previously to the date of the events mentioned in the 
above text, residents of Rome. Aquila is stated to have 
been a native of Pontus. By an edict, A. C. 52, the Em- 
peror Claudius banished all Jews from the imperial city. 
Aquila and his wife Priscilla then went to Corinth, and 
there entertained St. Paul. 

1281. They appear to have been zealous promoters of the Christian 
cause. St. Paul, in Rom. xvi. 3, 4, intimates that they had exposed them- 
selves to imminent danger on his account. They are mentioned also v^ith 
expressions of esteem in 2 Tim. iv. 19. Aquila and Priscilla followed the 
same profession — that of tent-making — as St. Paul, and probably employed 
many workmen. 

1 282. Wh}) did Si. Paul, n^hile at Corinth at the house 
of Aquila, m>ork as a tent-mailer? (Acts xviii. 3.) 

Because he wished to give a proof to his fellow-country- 
men, the Jews, of his perfect disinterestedness, and that he 
did not wish to be a burden to those to whom he preached 
the gospel. 

1283. Who rvas Callio, the deputy of Achaia, before 
Tvhom the unbelieving Jews of Corinth brought St, Paul? 
(Acts xviii. 12.) 

He was a man of very superior attainments, a kind of 
Stoic philosopher, and brother of the celebrated Seneca, 
Nero's preceptor. 

1284. St. Paul and Seneca were known to each other, and maintained 
a brief correspondence. The letters that passed between them are, however, 
not now extant. 

1285. Who was Apollos? (Acts xviii. 23.) 

He was a Jew of Alexandria, an eloquent man, and 
deeply read in the Old Testament books, which is the 
meaning of the expression, **one mighty of the Scriptures." 

1286. He had received the baptism of John only, had not heard the 
apostles preach, nor received the Holy Ghost by the imposition of hands; 
yet he preached boldly to the Jews, demonstrating from the Mosaical and 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 275 



A.C. 54-56. — "Diana of the Ephesians." 



other prophetical writings that Jesus must needs be the Messiah. He went 
to Ephesus in the year a.c. 54. It was while preaching in the synagogue 
of the Jews at Ephesus, that he was first seen by Aquila and Priscilla, 
who invited him to their house, and "expounded unto him the way of 
God more perfectly." (Acts xviii. 26.) 

1287. IVh^ did the seven sons of Sceva, a Jerv, at- 
tempt to cast out devils in the name of Jesus, in rvhom the}) 
did not believe? (Acts xix. 14.) 

Among the Jews were some who, by calling upon the 
name of the true God, sometimes cast out evil spirits (par. 
856). These sons of Sceva, seeing what wonderful effects 
followed the invocation by St. Paul of the name of Jesus, 
thought to imitate him. 

1288. This was an act of gross superstition, and was punished accord- 
ingly. "And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul t 
know, but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was, leaped 
on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled 
out of the house naked and wounded." 

1289. What Were the books burnt in presence of the 
apostle at Ephesus? (Acts xix. 19.) 

They were books of divination and magic art, to which 
study the Ephesians were much addicted. 

1290. The value of the books stated in the text to be fifty thousand 
pieces of silver, amounted to about $5,000. 

1291. Wh^ did St,< Paul leave Ephesus after this 
event ? 

Because of a tumult raised by the silversmiths, or makers 
of silver images and shrines of Diana, the favorite idol of 
the Ephesians, who saw that, if the Christian religion 
prevailed, there was an end to their business and profits. 

1292. Accordingly a riot was organized, during which it was en- 
deavored to kill St. Paul and his companions. The former, however, was 
protected by his friends, and departed for Macedonia. 

1293. Wh}) Tvas the da)) of rveekl^ rest changed from 
the Sabbath, or seventh, to the first day of the week? 

Because it was upon the first day of the week that our 
Lord's resurrection took place. 

1294. Hence this day became distinguished by the name of the Lord's 
day. In Acts xx. 7, read of the weekly meetings lor prayer and "breaking 



276 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 60. — St. Paul Appeals to Rome. 

of bread" being held upon the first day of the week; and in Revelation i. 
10, the phrase Lord's Day is mentioned. With the Latin Church this term 
is used to express the Christian Sabbath, or ''Dies Dominica.'* In no part 
of the New Testament do we read of the weekly meetings for divine worship 
being held upon the seventh day, or Jewish Sabbath. Nevertheless, this 
is a matter which is determinable by other means than those which the 
Scriptures furnish, and rests solely on tradition. 

1295. Who was T^chicus (mentioned Acts xx. 4) .^ 
He was a disciple employed by the Apostle Paul to 
carry his letters to several churches. 

1296. He was of the province of Asia, and accompanied St. Paul in 
his journey from Corinth to Jerusalem. He carried the epistle to the 
Colossians, that to the Ephesians, and the first to Timothy. The apostle 
calls him his dear brother, a faithful minister of the Lord, and his com- 
panion in the service of God, and had intentions of sending him to Crete, 
to preside there in the absence of Titus. It is thought, also, that Tychicus 
was sent to Ephesus while Timothy was at Rome^ when he carried a letter 
to the Ephesians from this apostle. The Greeks make him one oi, the 
seventy and Bishop of Colophon, in the province of Asia. 

1297. What is meant by the ''synagogue of the Liber- 
tines'* ? 

There are two opinions about these: — 1 , They are held 
to have been a congregation of freedmen, that is, of persons 
who, having been either born or made slaves in war, had 
obtained their freedom; or, 2, they were from a city in 
Africa, near Carthage, called Libertina, and hence were 
called Libertines. 

1 298. Why did St, Paul, when threatened with scourg- 
ing by the Jews at Jerusalem, claim the privileges of a 
Roman citizen? (Acts xxii. 25.) 

Because he wished to prevent what might have proved 
a source of scandal to some newly-converted Christians, 
whose constancy would have been endangered had the 
apostle submitted on this occasion to the degrading infliction. 

1299. How could St. Paul claim this privilege, being 
a Jew and a native of Tarsus? 

The privilege of Roman citizenship had been conferred 
upon the parents of St. Paul, and he had it by inheritance 
from them. 

1300. The city of Tarsus had been privileged by Antony as an imperial 
city. The Valerian law forbade that a Roman citizen should be bound; 
the Sempronian law forbade that he should be scourged or beaten with 
rods. — (Calmet.) 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 277 

A.C. 60. — Felix the Procurator. 

1301. Who was Felix, before rvhom St. Paul was 
tried? (Acts xxiv. 25.) 

He was the Roman procurator of Judea, under Claudius 
Caesar (circa A. D. 50). 

1302. Being apprehended in Jerusalem, St. Paul was sent by a written 
order from Claudius Lysias — the chiliarch or commandant of the Roman 
troops, who kept guard at the temple — to Felix at Caesarea, where he was 
at first confined in Herod's judgment-hall. Upon the arrival of his accusers, 
they chose a spokesman in one Tertullus, and had the audacity, in order to 
conciliate the good-will of Felix, to express gratitude on the part of the 
Jews," seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy 
deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence." (Acts xxiii, xxi\.) 
The apostle pleaded his cause in a worthy speech, and was remanded to 
prison by Felix, but with some indulgences. 

1 303. Why rvas SL Paul brought several times bef ore- 
Felix? 

Because that governor was in hopes of receiving a bribe 
from his prisoner, and was prepared upon such conditions 
to release him. 

1304. Felix was altogether a worthy representative of the triumphant 
heathendom of the day. He was thoroughly bold, unscrupulous, and cor- 
rupt. Originally a slave, he had risen by the basest means to a distinguished 
station in the empire. This position was valuable to him only so far as it 
ministered to his passions. He appears to have been fond of two things 
chiefly, money and sensual indulgence. The Drusilla mentioned (Acts xxiv. 
24), was a Jewish woman, a' daughter of Herod Agrippa, who was adulter- 
ously married to Felix, her proper husband being Azizus, King of Emesa- 
and then living. Such a pair might well have trembled when the apostle 
reasoned of righteousness, teiiperance, and the judgment to come. (Acts 
xxiv. 25.) But the trembling of Felix was to little effect. He remitted 
St. Paul to prison, where he remained for a period of two years, bein^ 
"left bound" when the unjust judge gave place to Festus, as he "was 
willing to do the Jews a pleasure." (Acts xxiv. 27.) 

1305. Why Was Felix superseded in the pro curator ship 
by Festus? 

Because by his corrupt government he had raised many 
seditions in Judea, and endangered its safety as a Roman 
province. 

1306. According to Josephus, it was the practice of Felix, in conjunc- 
tion with the neighboring governors, to set the rival factions among the 
Jews by the ears, and when both parties were well-nigh exhausted by their 
contests, to fall upon them in gross and plunder them. He encouraged the 
formation of bands of brigands and Sicarii, or assasins, and, in short, did 
everything that was calculated to debase and disorganize the nation of ibe 
Jews. 



278 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

A.C. 62. — Festus. Agrippa. 

1307. Who rvas Festus? (Acts xxv.) 

Porcius Festus was the successor of Felix, as the 
Roman governor of Judea, to the duties of which office he 
was appointed by the Emperor Nero, A. D. 55. 

1308. He was, at least, greatly the superior of Felix, and is spoken 
favorably of by Josephus. His conduct to the apostle Paul was high- 
minded and just, considered from the non-Christian point of view. When 
the Jewish hierarchy begged him to remit the apostle to Jerusalem, intend- 
ing to have him assassinated on the road, he gave a refusal, promising 
to have him tried where he was, namely, at Caesarea, alleging to them "it 
is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die, beioTe that he 
which is accused have the accusers face to face, and have license to answer 
for himself concerning the crime laid against him." (Acts xxv. 16.) On 
reaching Caesarea he sent for and interrogated his prisoner; and finding that 
the matters which his accusers had against him were "questions of their 
own superstition, and of one Jesus who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to 
be alive," he asked the apostle whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem 
to be tried, since Festus did not feel himself skilled in such an affair. St. 
Paul, doubtless, because he was unwilling to put himself into the hands of 
his implacable enemies, requested "to be reserved unto the hearing of 
Augustus Caesar" (by which latter name the emperors generally were desig- 
nated), and was, in consequence, kept in custody till Festus had an oppor- 
tunity to send him to Rome. 

During his government Festus did many great and wise acts. St. Paul's 
eulogy of him as the "most noble Festus," was no mere piece of court 
flattery. When he came to Judea he found the country infested with 
robbers, who plundered the villages and set them on fire; the Sicarii also 
were numerous. Many of these miscreants he captured and put to death. 
Festus also sent forces, both of horse and foot, to fall upon those that had 
been seduced by a certain impostor, who promised them deliverance and 
freedom from the Roman yoke if they would follow him unto the wilder- 
ness. These troops destroyed both the impostor and his dupes. Unlike 
most of his contemporaries, Festus appears to have died a natural death. 

1309. Who was Agrippa IL? (Acts xxv. 13.) 

He was son of the king of the same name, who im- 
prisoned St. Peter, and put St. James to death. 

1310. He was called Herod the younger, or Herod the Second. The 
Berenice mentioned in this chapter as his sister was an infamous person. 
If Agrippa was serious in his declaration to Paul, "Almost thou persuadest 
me to be a Christian," he very soon allowed the impression made upon his 
mind to fade away. His reign of fifty-one years is stained with all sorts of 
crime, including the very worst. When the last war against the Romans 
broke out, he took part with the heathens against his countrymen. Agrippa 
II. died in the third year of the Emperor Trajan. 

131 1. Why n)as Christ said to have been the first to 
rise from the dead (Acts xxvi. 23), rvhen others before 
him had risen, as the tpidorv^s son, Lazarus, etc. ? 

Because he was the first who rose not to die again. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 279 



A.C. 62-65.— St. Paul at Melita. 



1312. As such, Jesus Christ had been frequently represented by the 
prophets; others had been raised to life, but had returned to their graves. 
He wsa the first, also, who raised himself. — Calmet.) 

1313. IVh^ did Festus declare Su Paul to be mad? 
(Acts xxvi. 24.) 

Because of the strangeness to his ears of the doctrines 
preached by the apostle. 

1314. The resurrection of the dead, remission of sins, baptism, faith, 
etc., were subjects completely unintelligible to a Roman. 

1315. Wh\) Tvas St. Paul sent to Rome? 
Because by appealing to the emperor's court he had 

taken the case out of the hands of the provincial judges. 

1316. IVh^ Tpere the Melitans, or Maltese, among 
Tvhom St. Paul and his company^ rpere wrecked, called bar- 
barians ? 

Because it was the custom among the Romans thus to 
designate all who did not speak the Greek or Roman 
languages. 

1317. The term was not applied in its modern sense, as to rude or 
cruel people. They were extremely hospitable. The Maltese received in 
reward the light of faith, and their island has been a Christian bulwark 
against the Pagans and Turks for more than eighteen centuries. 

1318. Wh]) did St. Paul, n^/ien at Rome, divell (in a 
house) b^ himself Tvith a soldier that kept him? (Acts 
xxviii. 1 6. ) 

Because by favor of some influential persons he was 
exempted from the ordinary kind of imprisonment. 

1319. St. Paul was chained, as it appears by Acts xxviii. 20. It xyas 
the custom to fasten one end of the chain by a lock to the prisoner's wrist, 
and the other to the wrist of the soldier who was to guard him. St. Paul 
won great esteem among all classes at Rome. He was allowed to go to 
whatever part of the city he chose. Some attribute this favor to Afranius 
Burrus, who was prefect of the praetorium in the year 51, and who used his 
authority as long as he possessed any influence over Nero's mind to repress 
that emperor's bad inclinations, and direct his councils with wisdom — 
(Calmet.) 

With the last chapter of the "Acts" the inspired record of St. Paul's 
history terminates. Much that is interesting in his subsequent career is 
to be found in the old ecclesiastical writers. But the whole is involved in 
obscurity. The reason of that is, that the greatest servants of God, 
imitating their divine model, sought always to hide their own glory — to 
conceal from men whatever redounded to their personal honor, and to be 
"buried with Christ." 



280 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Note on the Acts. 



It is certain, however, that St. Paul again obtained his liberty, and 
made several voyages, by means of which he carried the light of the gospel 
into many countries. But nothing is known as to the manner or time. He 
finished his labors by martyrdom, being beheaded at Rome in a.c. 66, the 
thirteenth year of Nero. 



NOTE UPON THE HISTORICAL PORTION OF THE NEW 

TESTAMENT. 

1320. Upon arriving at this point two important questions might well 
be asked by the Biblical student. These are: — 

1. What was the amount of success attendant upon the promulgation of 
the Gospel by the apostles and their immediate successors during the first 
ages of the Church? 

2. Has that success been permanent? Or, in other words, Is the 
promise of Christ, that his Church (likened to the mountain which filled the 
whole earth, par. 559), should embrace all nations, and continue to the end 
of time in fair way of accomplishment? 

The answers to these questions are readily furnished. The limits and 
scope of the present work preclude more lengthened details, but it may be 




THE "LABULUM, or STANDARD OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE UNDER 
CONSTANTINE THE GREAT. 

(The monogram in the center is the abbreviation of Christos, Christ.) 



boldly and thankfully stated, in answer to the first, that, departing from 
Jerusalem, and distributing their forces over the then known world, the 
Apostles everywhere met with most signal success; and this success wast 
followed up so perfectly, that at the end of three hundred years, the very 
center of civilization and dominion, the city of Rome itself, of itself, and 



KNOWLEDGE OF THfc BIBLE. 281 



Note on the Acts. 



without any pressure from without, erected the standard of the cross upon 
its ensign, as the mark and emblem of the empire. 

In answer to the second, that. In the present year, eighteen hundred 
and fifty-nine after the birth of Christ, there is scarcely a spot of earth 
whither man has penetrated, or where civilization has reached, in which 
the gospel has not been preached, and that successfully. 

As to the future permanency of Christianity, the system which has 
seen the rise and fall of thrones, empires, and dynasties, and is still only 
increasing, may — apart from the divine guarantee, if it be possible so to 
consider it — be safely left to fill up the remaining measure of the earth's 
allotted time. 

The following passages will be found very pertinent to the matter under 
consideration, and are but little known. 



1321. The Testimony of the Emperor Napoleon the First to the 
Success of the New Dispensation. 

{Extracted from his conversation with General Bertrand and others at 

St. Helena*) 

•*It is neither one day nor one battle which has accomplished this event. 
Is it the life of a man then? No. It is a war, a long combat of three hun* 
dred years, commenced by the apostles and carried on by their successors, 
and by the continued succession of Christian generations. All the first 
preachers of Christianity suffered martyrdom. Thus, during a space of three 
centuries, the presidential chair oi the Church was a scaffold, which in- 
evitably ensured the death of him who was called to occupy it; and seldom, 
indeed, during that period of three hundred years, was a better fate reserved 
for the other bishops. In that war all the monarchs and all the powers of 
the earth were placed on one side, and on the other I do not perceive any 
army, but a mysterious energy — a few men, indeed, dispersed here and 
there in all the quarters of the globe, having no other rallying point but 
the common faith in the mystery of the cross. What a strange symbol! 
His disciples are armed with the instrument which inflicted the torture upon 
the God-man. They carry the cross in the world, a sign of their faith, a 
burning flame which is communicated from one to the other. 'Christ — 
God,' they say, 'died for the salvation of men.' What a struggle, what a 
storm do these simple words raise around the humble standard on which 
the God-man suffered! What quantities of blood have been shed on both 
sides ! What fury ! But here anger and all the bitterness of hatred and 
violence; there mildness, moral courage, a wonderful resignation. During 
three hundred years the mind struggles against the coarseness of animal 
passion, the conscience against despotism, the soul against the body, virtue 
against every vice. The blood of the Christians flows in torrents; even 
when in the last agonies of death they kiss the hand of him who kills them. 
1 he soul alone protests, while the body is given up /o all kinds of torture. 
Everywhere the Christians fall, and everywhere they triumph. 

"Can you imagine a man after death obtaining conquests with a faith- 
ful army devoted to his memory? Can you conceive a phantom who has 

* From "The Massacre of the Carmes," b>' J. A. Belaney. 



282 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Note on the Acts. 



at his command soldiers without pay, without hope in this world, and who 
inspires them with perseverance and energy under every kind of privation? 
Alas! the body of Turenne was yet warm when his army retreated before 
Montecuculli; and with regard to myself, my armies forget me, though I 
am still living, as the Carthaginian army forgot Hannibal. Behold the power 
of us great men! a single battle lost crushes us, and adversity deprives us 
of our friends. How many Judases have I seen around me? Ah! if I 
have not been able to persuade these great politicians, these generals who 
have betrayed me; if they have disavowed my name, and denied to their 
sovereign the miracles of a real affection for my country-, and of a fidelity 
which nothing could impair; if I who have led them sc often to victory am 
not able when living to reanimate these selfish hearts, by what means then 
can I when chilled by death maintain and keep alive their zeal? Can you 
imagine Caesar continuing to rule over the Roman senate, and from the 
depth of his tomb governing the empire, and watching over the destinies of 
Rome? Such is the history of the invasion and oj the conquest of the 
world by Christianity! Behold the power of the God of the Christians, 
and the perpetual miracle of the progress of the faith and the government 
of his Church. Nations pass away, thrones crumble to pieces, and // 
remains. What, then, is the force that sustains it, assailed by the furious 
storm of passion, and of contempt of an unbelieving age? Whose arm has 
sustained it? We extol the conquests of Alexander! Well, here is a con- 
queror who confiscates for his own advantage; who unites, who incorporates 
in himself, not one nation only, but the whole human race. What a miracle! 
The human soul, with all its faculties, becomes united with the exist- 
ence of Christ; and how? By a miracle which exceeds all miracles. 
He will have the love of man; that is, he will have that which is the 
most difficult to obtain — that which a wise man seeks in vain from 
his friends, a father from his children, a wife from her husband, a 
brother from a brother — in a word, the heart ; that is what he will 
have, he exacts it absolutely, and he instantly succeeds. I conclude from 
this his divinity. Alexander, Caesar, Hannibal, Louis XIV., with all their 
genius, have failed in this point. They have conquered the world, and 
they have not gained one single friend. . . . Christ speaks, and from 
that moment generations are united to him by closer and more intimate 
ties than those of blood; by a union more sacred, more binding than 
any other. He kindles the flame of a love which extinguishes the love 
of self, which prevails over every other love. On viewing this miracle 
of his will, how is it possible not to recognize the Word, the Creator of 
the world? Thus the greatest miracle of Christ, without contradiction, 
is the reign of charity. He alone has the power of raising the hearts 
of men to the invisible world, to the sacrifice of all temporal con- 
cerns. He alone, in instituting this sacrifice, has established a bond 
between heaven and earth. All those who believe in him feel within 
them this marvelous supernatural and all-perfect love — a phenomenon 
not to be explained, not to be understood by reason, or by the powers 
af man. A sacred fire is diffused over the earth by this new Prometheus, 
of which Time, the gr^at destroyer, can neither impair the force nor 
limit the duration. It is that which I (Napoleon) admire most, because 
r^have often thought oi it; <ind if is that which proves to me, beyond 
bU doubt, the divinity of Christ. . . . Now that I am at St. Helena—^ 
now: that I am fixed down^- to this rock — who fights my battles and 
conquers kingdonis for nve? Where are my courtiers in my misfortunes — 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 283 

The Epistles and Revelation. 



does any one even bestow a thought on me? Who in Europe stirs 
himself on my behalf, who remains faithful to me? 

"Such is the destiny of great men — that of Cssar and Alexander— 
we are forgotten 1 and the name of a conqueror, such as that of an 
emperor, becomes merely a college theme! Our exploits fall under the 
ferulfl of a pedant, who either praises or insults us with his criti- 
cisms. . . . Behold the approaching destiny of the great Napoleon! What 
an abyss between my deep misery and the eternal reign of Christ, which 
is preached up, incensed, loved, adored, living in all the universe? Ts 
that dying? Is it not rather living? Behold the death of Christ! Be- 
hold that of God!" 



CHAPTER XL 

OF THE EPISTLES AND REVELATION. 

1 322. Wh^ "Was the epistle of St, Paul to the Romans 
n>ritten? 

The design of St. Paul in inditing this letter was, by 
a full development of the gospel doctrine* to confirm the 
faith of the Roman Christians, and to terminate some 
domestic disputes which then prevailed among the believers. 

1323. The Church at Rome had become divided. The Jewish and 
Gentile converts were at variance; the former insisting upon their birth- 
right as the eldest born to Christ, and presuming upon the promises 
made to their fathers. On account of which they assumed priority or 
preference over the converted Gentiles, regarding the latter as foreigners, 
admitted out of pure favor into the society of believers and to the 
participation of Christian privileges. The Gentile converts, on the other 
hand, stood upon the merit of their sages and philosophers, the wisdom 
and prudence of their legislators, the purity of their morality, and 
their exactness in following the law of nature. They reproached the 
Jews with the disobedience of their forefathers to God and the laws 
he had given them; that they had frequently returned to idolatry; that 
they had persecuted and put to death the prophets, and even their Messi-.ih, 
the true Son of God', etc., etc. 

St. Paul shows that neither the Jew nor the Gentile had reason to 
boast, but to humble themselves under the hand of God; that neither 
could pretend to merit, or had reason to glory or boast of their calling; 
which proceeded from the grace and mercy of God. 

1 324. Wh^ is the epistle to the Romans placed first 
among the canonical epistles? 

1 . Because of the dignity of the imperial city to which 
it is directed. 2. Because of the magnificance and sub- 
limity of the evangelical mysteries of which it treats. 



264 KNOwL.£DGii. OK THE BIBLE. 

Epistles to the Romans and Corinthians. 



1325. As the seat of empire and the destined scene of the martyr- 
dom ol the two chief apostles; Rome fairly claimed this preference. As 
to the second point, "The epistle of St. Paul to the Romans," . says 
Dr. MacKnight, "for sublimity and truth of sentiment, for brevity and 
strength of expression, for regularity in its structure, but above all for 
the unspeakable importance of the discoveries which it contains, stands 
unrivaled by any more human composition, and as far exceeds the most 
celebrated productions of the learned Greeks and Romans as the shining 
of the sun exceeds the twinkling of the stars."* 

1326. When rvas the epistle to the Romans Tvritten? 

It was written about the year 57, or 58, three years 
before St. Paul's first visit to Rome, while he was preparing 
lo go to Jerusalem with the charitable contributions and 
alms collected in Achaia and Macedonia, for the benefit 
and Telief of the poor Christians in Judea. 

1327. The epistle to the Romans was written in Greek at Corinth. 
St. Paul's secretary was named Tertius. The apostle visited the church 
addressed twice: first A.c. 61, when he apepaled to Caesar; and then 
A.c. 65, a year before his martyrdom, which happened in a.c. 66. 

1 328. IVh^ was St, Pauls first epistle to the Corinth- 
ians written? 

The intention of this epistle was to put an end to certain 
divisions that had arisen among the Christians of Corinlh. ia 
consequence of the indiscretion of some new teachers. 

1329. Corinth was the capital of Achaia, a very rich and populous 
city of Greece, where St. Paul had preached during more than a year, 
and converted a great many. Having received a letter from them, and 
being informed of the disputes above alluded to, he wrote the present 
epistle, sending it by the same persons, Stephanus, Fortunatus, and 
Achaicus, who had brought him that of the Corinthians. It was written 
about the year 56, and from Ephesus. 

1 330. What was the cause of the dispute in which 
Apollos is named? (Cor. iii. 6.) 

There was a tendency among the Corinthian converts to 
form parties or sections under particular leaders, which the 
great talents and excellent qualities of Apollos rather in- 
creased; but neither he nor his distinguished colleague St. 
Paul consented for a moment to any such fancies, and the 
passages recorded in Cor. iii. 6 were written to put an end 
to them. 

* "Truth of the Gospel History." London, 1763, 4to. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 285 

Early Heresies. 



133L Some writers imagine that Apollos differed to some extent 
from St. Paul upon the subject of the concessions which it might be 
advisable to make in favor of Judaical practices, as concerned converts 
from the Hebrew nation. There does not appear to be sufhcicnt ground 
tor any such opinion. Apollos was sO displeased with the Corinthians lor 
their party-forming habits, that he withdrew to another scene. He went 
to Crete, and while there the first epistle to the Corintliians was written. 
He was afterwards induced by St. Paul to revisit Coriorh, and ultimately 
became bishop oi that city; which fact should be held a sufficient proof 
that there could be no difference in point of sentiment between fhe two 
teachers. 

1 332. Why did the heresies spring up in the infant 
Church against rvhich the apostle ( 1 Cor. xi. 19; Gal. v. 
20; Titus iii. 10, etc.), Tvarns the Christians^ 

Because (in the language of Professor Burton: — 
**Many persons who professed to follow the instructions of 
the apostles, took such parts of the gospel as suited their 
views or struck their fancy; but these rays of light became 
mixed up and buried in such a mass of absurdity, that the 
apostles themselves would hardly have recognized their own 
doctrines."* 

1333. The chief of these heretics were the Nazareans, the Ebionites, 
and the Cerinthians. 

The Nazareans were a sect of men between Jews and Christians, 
but abhorred by both. They allowed Christ to be the greatest of 
prophets, but said that he was a mere man, whose natural parents were 
Mary and Joseph; they joined all the ceremonies of the old law with 
the new. and observed both the Jewish Sabbath and the Sunday. 

The Ebionites were akin to the former, whose opinions they held 
generally, with some distinct errors of their own. Ebion, the founder of 
this sect, taught that Christ was created like one of the angels, but 
greater than the rest; that he was conceived and born, nevertheless, in 
the natural way, and chosen to be the son of God by the Holy Ghost 
descending upon him in the form of a dove. 

The Cerinthians taught similar doctrines — maintained the obligation 
of circumcision, the distinction between clean and unclean meats, attributed 
the creation of the world to the angels, etc. Cerinthus, the originator, 
lived with Ebion about the time of the destruction of the Jewish temple 
by Titus. He particularly distinguished his heresy by the novel notion 
that the two natures in Jesus Christ were easily separable, and under 
this theory he asserted that during the passion the divine part of Jesus 
absented itself, leaving the human part only to suffer. In other words, he 
separated Jesus from Christ. Christ, according to his theory, when the 
time of suffering came on, departed and Jesus alone remained. 

St. John's horror of Cerinthus is well exhibited in the ancedote 

recorded by Irenaeus, who declares that he had it from the mouth of 

Polycarp, an eye and ear witness. The beloved apostle was one day 

., about to enter a public bath in company with one of his disciples, when 

he saw Cerinthus also enter the building. St. John started back, and 

* Bampton Lectures. 



286 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Secular allusions in the Epistles. 



bade his friend come away, "Let us," said he, "come away lest the 
bath wherein is Cerinthus, that enemy of the truth, should fall upon 
our heads." 

1 334. Wh^ did the apostle Paul ( 1 Cor. xi.) discourse 
upon the covering or uncovering of the head in public 
worship ? 

Because, as is evident from the context, that he had 
been requested to give some directions upon that subject. 

1335. It was the practice among the Greek Christians — the Cor- 
inthians were among the most distinguished of these — to uncover their 

heads when attending divine service. 
But in^other and more Eastern parts 
of the Church the practice of wor- 
shipping with the head covered was 
retained. The question to be decided 
was which was the best — should the 
Western practice yield to that of^ the 
Eastern Church, or vice versa? The 
apostle says : — 

1. That they should abide by 
the rules he had given them. (That 
he had advised the uncovering of the 
head by the male, and its being 
veiled at least by the female por- 
tion of the congregation, is evident.) 

2. He argues that as it is a kind 
of shame for a man to wear long 
hair, and for a woman to be bald, so 
his advice relative to the subject had 

ROMAN lady's HEAD-DRESS. ^ natural recommendation. 

3. He tells them that conten- 
tiousness is worse than any breach of etiquette, insinuating that they 
must not be bigotted either way (1 Cor. xi. 16). 

1 336. Wh^ does St. Paul recommend the Corinthians 
to cultivate prophesying ? 

In the New Testament language, *'pJ^ophesying" Irc- 
quently means preaching, and the apostle recommends the 
arts of preaching to the consideration of his converts, rather 
that the acquisition of supernatural gifts. 

1337. When the first disciples went forth, and in the synagogues 
and other places of meeting, addressed the people, it frequently happened 
that between the preacher and a portion of his auditory, an interpreter of 
languages was needed. Because not only did nations differ in their 
speech from nations, but even towns and villages from each other. 
1 Corinthians xiv., which treats of this subject, sets forth by saying, 
''Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts; but rather that ye may 
prophesy." It goes on to say that even the supernatural gift of tongues — 
that is the knowledge without study, of divers languages, is less important 




KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



287 



Secular allusions in the Epistles. 



or desirable than the faculty of addressing appropriate and searching words 
— words suitable and well applied to the occasion and auditory. The 
preacher may address fine words to his flock, he may fully intend to teach 
and edify, he may pray with the best intentions, but "how shall he 
that occupieth the room of the unlearned say 'Amen' at thy giving of 
thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily 
givest thanks well, but the other is not edified. ... If therefore the 
whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with 
tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will 
they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in 
one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he 
is judged of all. And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; 
and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God, and report that 
God is in you of a truth?" 




ANCIENT CHARIOT RACER. 



1 338. Why; did SL Paul, in his epistle to the Corinth- 
ians, the Hebrews, the Philippians, and others, frequently 
allude to and draw comparisons from the ancient games, and 
especially) the races? 

Because these classical contests formed an essential part 
of the system and mode of life of the peoples to whom the 



288 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE, 



The Roman Games. 



apostle chiefly addressed himself, and lent the readiest and 
best understood illustrations which a preacher at that time 
could select. 



1339. The Romans derived the most of their games from the Greeks, 
by whom they had been cultivated and fostered to a degree which it is 
difficult at this time of day to appreciate. These comprised chariot-racing, 
horse-racing, foot-racing, quoiting, wrestling, darting, boxing, etc. Every 
class, especially the highest, was prepared for excellence in these contests 
by a careful training in youth, which developed and strengthened every 
part of the bodily frame, rendering the eye acute, the limbs pliant and 
tendonous, doubling at least the ordinary powers of the hands and feet, 
and quickening all the senses and bodily faculties. 

The severity of the preparatory discipline used, is illustrated by the 
following passage from Epictetus: — "You wish to conquer at the Olympic 
games. Consider first what precedes and follows, and then, if it be 
for your advantage, engage in the affair. You must conform to rules ; 
submit to a diet; refrain from dainties; exercise your body, whether 
you choose it or not, in a stated hour, in heat and cold; you must drink 
no cold water, nor sometimes wine; in a word, you must give yourself 
up to your master, as to a physician. Then in the combat you may be 
thrown into a ditch, dislocate your arm, turn your ankle, swallow 
abundance of dust, be whipped, and after all lose the victory. When 
you have reckoned on all this, if your inclination still holds, set about 
the combat." 

The most important of these references are as follow; — 

''Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth 
the prize? So run that ye may obtain." (1 Cor. ix. 24.) 

Here the words addressed to the Corinthian converts recalled a most 
familiar image. The course, or dromos, at Corinth, where the races were 
run, was one of the most famous in the world. It was situated on ttio 
isthmus of Corinth, whence the name Isthmian Games. Of course one 
only received the prize. The prize was usually a crown. 

"Wherefore seeing we also are encompassed about with so great a 

cloud of witnesses, let us lay 

__ __^^:^ i^ - _ _ aside every weight, and the sin 

-'^-^_^;g:^f ' T^^ ^ z T^iz ^ ^ which doth so easily beset us, 

-fl^:g^;^^> j^ ?^ ^^^ -- and let us run with patience 

- ^^^^ ^^^^^f i^"^ ^^'p^ the race that is set before us." 

(Heb. xii. 1.) 

The cloud of witnesses 
here referred to were — \. The 
multitude of spectators sur- 
rounding the dromos or course. 
2. The heavenly as well as 
earthly witnesses of that spir- 
itual race, which the followers 
of the gospel rule had to run. 
"Now they do it to obtain 
a corruptible crown, but we an 
incorruptible." (1 Cor. ix. 25.) 
The usual mode of rewarding victors, whether in the wars or 
games, was by the bestowal of crowns. The highest reward was the 
civic crown, f, made of oak leaves, and conferred on him who had saved 
the life of a citizen. The person who received it wore it at the spectacles, 




AMPHITHEATER, VERONA. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



289 



Secular allusions of St. Paul. 




and sat next the senate. The mural crown, a, was bestowed on him 
who first scaled the walls of a city. The embattled crown, b, on him 
who first mounted the ram- 
part or entered the camp or 
the enemy. The naval crown, 
c, was bestowed for naval 
exploits. The j^rass crown, d, 
was for lesser merits. The 
chaplets, e, j, g, given in 
the Olympic games, were of 
laurel, vine, or parsley. 
These, though in part made 
of evergreens, would speedily 
fade. Their essential insig- 
nificance, compared with the 
great efforts by • which they 
were won, are frequently 
alluded to by the satirists of 
St. Paul's age. The com- 
parison between the fading 
thaplet and the eternal re- 
ward of the just in heaven 
would be well understood. 
The text— 

"But I keep under my 
body and bring it into sub- 
jection" (1 Cor. ix. 27), 
— is explained, as to the sec- 
ular allusion, in the above 
quotation from Epictetus. 

Another illustration is to be found in the fact that those who, in the 
Isthmian games, strove to gain the prize in running or boxing were 
required to pass ten months in the gymnasium of Elis, in order to 
prepare themselves by exercises and a rigid diet. Abstinence and self 
denial, as essential to the Christian combat, are hereby inculcated. 

"Not as one beating the air." (1 Cor. ix. 26.) 

In order to acquire agility and skill, aspirants exercised themselves 
with weapons apart from an antagonist. This was called "shadow fight- 
ing," beating the air, literally. The opponents for whom St. Paul pre- 
pared his neophytes were not of this kind. These were the prejudices 
and the persecutions of Roman and Greek heathendom, their own 
fallen nature, and the powers of darkness. The greater portion, probably, 
of those to whom this epistle was first addressed, had to witness to 
the death, either in the arena with lions, or in fetid dungeons under 
the relentless heel of the Pagan rulers. 

"I press toward the mark for the prize." (1 Phil. iii. 14.) 
This refers to the foot-races at the Isthmian games. The prize to 
be run for at these games was exhibited in such a manner as to be 
visible to all the runners. Thus their emulation was excited. The 
eternal prize for which the apostle ran, namely, the vision of God in 
heaven, was set ever before his eyes by contemplation and prayer. 



r. Mural crown ; b, Embattled crown 
icovona vallarus) ; c, Naval crown; 
d, Crown of grass; e. Triumphal crown; 
/, Civic crown; g. Oval crown. 



290 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE, 



The Contests of the Arena. 



1 340. Wh^ n^as the second epistle to the Corinthians 
rvritten ? 

St. Paul had in his first epistle written rather severely to 
his converts ; the effect thereby produced was very great. He 







ROMAN BOXERS. 

tlierefore wrote this second epistle l:o comiort and strengthen 
the flock, admonishing them ',o persevere Jn a propci course, 
and especially to avoid false teachers. 

134L Among other things, the first epistle had contained a sentence 
of excommunication — a cutting-ofT from Church fellowship — against a 
Christian who was living in a shockingly scandalous manner. (1 Cor. 
V. 1.) Having been informed of the repentance and amendment of this 
person, St. Paul in his second epistle pronounces his pardon and reinte- 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 291 

St. Paul to the Galatians. 



miration with the congregation of the faithful. (2 Cor. ii. 6.) The false 
teachers alluded to having a habit of praising themselves, and depreciating 
the merits and authority of St. Paul, the latter takes occasion to defend 
himself from their attacks, and enumerates, in a grand yet modest style, 
the sufferings he had gone through, and the favors he had received from 
God. 

The second epistle was written but a short time subsequent to the 
first — about the year 57 — some months before that to the Romans. The 
place from which it was written is not quite clearly known. It was 
from some part of Macedonia, probably from Philippi. 

1 342. Why n>as the epistle of St. Paul to the Calatians 
Tvritten ? 

Because of some controversies which had been raised by 
the Jewish converts with the Gentile Christians concerning 
circumcision, and some other lesser matters. 

1343. The Galatians, soon after St. Paul had preached the gospel 
to them, were seduced by some false teachers who had been Jews, and 
who were for obliging all Christians, even those who had been Gentiles, 
to observe circumcision and the other ceremonies of the Mosaical 
law. In this epistle he refutes the doctrine of these teachers, and also 
their calumny against the mission and apostleship. The Galatians were 
originally Gauls, who, under their leader Brennus, spread themselves over 
Greece, and at length passed into Asia Minor, where they settled between 
Cappadocia and Phrygia, in the province afterwards called from them 
Galatia. It seems that St. Peter preached first in those parts; but it was 
only to the Jews, as may be gathered from the inscription of the first 
epistle, which he addresses to the Jews of Pontus, etc. But St. Paul 
was the first that preached to the Gentile inhabitants of this province. 
When he first preached to them he was received as an angel from 
heaven» or rather as Christ himself; he visited them oftener than once, 
and the church he there formed was very considerable. But the Jewish 
converts caused the troubles which gave rise to this epistle, in setting 
up the old legal observances. The apostle herein rectifies matters, 
declares the dignity_and authority of his mission, and exhorts upon 
various heads. St. Jerome states that this epistle was written from 
Rome, while its author was in chains for the truth. Others maintain 
that it was sent from Ephesus. 

1 344. Why does St. Paul in his epistles allude to the 
military equipments of a soldier.^ 

Because he could use no images of a more apposite 
character, or with which his correspondents were more 
familiar. 

1345. It is not necessary to point out how intimate was the knowl- 
edge possessed by St. Paul upon these matters, or how thoroughly, when 
these epistles were written, the Roman military element penetrated till 
ranks and pans of the empire. It will have been seen, by what has 
been before stated, that the one distinguishing mark of the time was 



292 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE, 



Military allusions in the Epistles. 



the universally-present Roman legionary. The whole world had been sub- 
jected to the Roman yoke, and even where the policy of the conquerors 
had left to the conquered people some remants of their natonal peculiari- 
ties or characteristic coloring, the fashion of Rome prevailed. Many 

cities, called free cities, were 
permitted to maintain gar- 
risons of national troops, and 
to enjoy a shadow of national 
independence; but here the 
nationality, whatever it 
might be, soon faded away, 
and the military system be- 
came entirely assimilated to 
that of the dominant city. 
The costume of a Roman sol- 
dier then was the universal 
type, and as such was alluded 
to by St. Paul. The prin- 
cipal of these references oc- 
cur in the sixth chapter of 
the epistle to the Ephesians, 
and are as follow: — 

"Finally, brethren, be 
strong in the Lord, and in 
the power of his might, 

"Put on the whole ar- 
mor of God, that ye may be 
able to stand against the 
wiles of the devil." (Eph. 
vi. 10, n.) 

The armor of a Roman 
soldier, speaking in general 
terms, consisted of the demi- 
cylindrical buckler or shield, 
the cuirass or pectoral 
(breastplate), the casque or 
helmet, and the ocrea or 
greave. 

"For we wrestle not 
against flesh and blood, but 
against principalities, etc. 
(Eph. vi. 12.) 

"The young soldier was 
regularly trained to the exer- 
cises of running, leaping, 
vaulting, wrestling, and swim- 
ming." — (Carr's "Roman An- 
tiquities.") 
"Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and hav- 
ing on the breastplate of righteousness.*' (Eph. vi. 14.) 

The cuirass or pectoral was a hollow plate of brass, about a foot 
square, adapted to the form of the chest, and fastened with thongs of 
leather protected with metallic scales; but the centurions and foremosi 
legionaries rendered themselves still more impenetrable to the steel of 
the enemy by using chain armor covered with brass scales, or iron rings 
twisted within one another like chains. 

"And vour feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace/* 
(Eph. vi. 15.) 




ROMAN LEGIONARY 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE, 



293 



Military allusions in the Epistles. 




The soldiers at first went nearly barefoot; as the Roman power 
advanced more care was taken of the 
feet. Under the emperors the sandal 
was improved into a kind of boot, and 
even studded with nails. The annexed 
cut shows how carefully the foot was 
protected in St. Paul's time. 

"Above all taking the shield of 
faith, wherewith ye shall be able to 
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." 
(Eph. vi. 16.) 

The buckler, anciently round, had, 
in the time of the apostles, been super- 
seded by the demi-cylindrical or oblong 
"scutum." This shield, four feet in 
length by two feet and a half in breadtti, 
anjd constructed in the form of a tile, 
was composed of two or three pieces of voman sandal. 

timber, fashioned and secured to- 
gether in the manner of staves, cov- 
ered with leather, strengthened at 
each end by a band of iron, and pro- 
vided in the middle with an umbo 
or boss of metal, for the purpose of 
turning aside the missiles and pikes 
of the enemy. 

*'And take the helmet of salva- 
tion and the sword of the Spirit 
which is the word of God." (Eph. 
vi. 17.) 

The casque, helmet, or head- 
piece of brass or iron was variously 



SHIELD. 

formed, but generally fitted pro- 
jections at the base for pro- 
tecting the neck and shoulders, 
and in most cases attached under 
the chin by mentonnieres cov- 
ered with scales of brass. The 
helmet was generally adorned 
with a crest. The sword in use, 
called the Spanish sword, was 
common to all the infantry of 
the legion. Tt bad a short, 
bro^d blade of excellent temper, 
which serves either to cut or 
thrust. It was two-edged, which 
quality is referred to bv St. 
Paul in Heb. iv. 12:— "The 
word of God is quick and pow- 
erful, and sharper then any two- ^ 
edged sword." 





HELMET. 



294 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Sufferings of the Primitive Christians. 



1346. What is the meaning of the phrase, ''For I hear 
in m^ body the marks of the Lord Jesus' ? (Gal. vi. 1 7.) 
St. Paul intended to say in those words that he had real- 
ized in his own person some of 
the sufferings of Christ; in 
other words, that his body 
bore the marks of the persecu- 
tions he had endured on ac- 
count of his apostleship. 



1347. It was an ancient custom 
to mark or brand with certain well 
understood characters the bodies of 
soldiers, fugitives, and domestics. 
Doubtless St. Paul had these insignia 
in his mind when he penned the 
allusion in Gal. vi. 17. But with 
reference to the marks received by 
the servants of Christ who had to 
pass through the hands of the 
heathen judges, it may be as well 
to consider what the nature of these 
inflictions were. 





TWO-EDGED SWORD. 



Foxe, in his "Acts and Monu- 
ments," speaking of the earliest 
preachers of the gospel, and quoting from Eusebius, St. Augustine, St. 
Jerome, and others, says: — 

"Some were slain with the sword; some burnt with lire; some with 
whips scourged; some stabbed with forks of iron; some fastened to the 
cross or gibbet; some drowned in the sea; some their skins plucked 
off; some their tongues cut out; some stoned to death; some killed with 
cold; some starved with hunger; some their hands cut off alive, or other- 
wise dismembered, have been so left naked to the open shame of the 
world. Neither yet were these tyrants and organs of Satan thus con- 
tented with death only, to bereave the life from the body. The kinds 
of death were divers, and no less horrible than divers. Whatsoever the 
cruelness of man's invention could devise for the punishment of man's 
body was practised against the Christians, as partly I have mentioned 
before; and more appeared by the epistle sent from the brethren of 
France hereafter following. Crafty trains, outcries of enemies, stripes 
and scourgings, drawings, tearings, stonings, plates of iron laid unto 
them burning hot, deep dungeons, racks, strangling in prisons, the teeth 
of wild beasts, gridirons, gibbets and gallows, tossing upon the horns of 
bulls. Moreover, when they were thus killed, their bodies were laid 
in heaps, and dogs there left to keep them, that no man might come 
to bury them, neither would any prayer obtain them to be interred 
and buried." 

That St. Paul, at the time of his writing this epistle, was a partaker 
in these sufferings — short of actual death — is evident by the eleventh 
chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, wherein he says: — 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 295 



Su£Ferings of the Primitive Christians. 



"Are they ministers of Christ? I am more: in labors more abun- 
dant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 

"Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 

"Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered 
shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep. 

"In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in 
perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in 
the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren. 

"In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and 
thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness," etc., etc. 

The trial of a Christian prisoner brought before a Roman judge 
was somewhat after the following manner. The account is drawn from 
various authorities : — 

The magistrates were seated on the subsellia, one of the Duumvirs 
presiding, in his white robe bordered with purple; his lictors standing 
behind him. Near the door of the court, to confront the prisoner on his 
first entrance, were the usual instruments of torture. There were the 
heavy yoke for the neck, of iron or of wood, similar to what in China 
is called the canga; the fetters; the stocks, in which hands and feet 
were inserted at distances from each other which strained or dislocated 
the joints. There, too, were the rods with thorns in them; the whips 
and thongs; cutting with iron or bruising with lead; the heavy clubs; 
the hook for digging into the flesh; the ungula, said to have been a 
pair of scissors; iron combs, or rakes for tearing; and there was the 
wheel, fringed with spikes, on which the culprit was stretched; and 
there was the fire ready lighted, with the water hissing and groaning in 
the large cauldrons which were placed upon it. 

The Christian culprit was now brought in, and the sight of the 
place, with its furniture, would be enough to appal a stout heart. He 
was asked. Are you a Christian? Upon the reply everything depended. 
If made in the affirmative, he was exhorted by the allegiance he owed 
as a subject of the empire, to the gods, and to the divine emperor, 
to abandon the foolish plea, to renounce the folly of the Nazarenes, and 
to sacrifice, in the prescribed form, to the genius of the Caesars. There 
was an altar prepared, a flame already lit, incense burning, priests in 
waiting; let them be called in and sacrfice made, all would then be over; 
the prisoner would be acquitted and even honored by the authorities. 
If, however, the plea was obstinately persisted in, sentence was immedi- 
ately pronounced. This would be death, not immediate — that would 
have been too merciful — but death slow and lingering. The offender was 
first to be thrown into the disgusting Barathrum or Tullianum (par. 
1271); then to be stretched on the rack, or otherwise tortured; lastly to 
be beheaded, or thrown to the beasts ; and in case of death by decapita- 
tion, the body to be cast to the dogs. To give the details of an ordinary 
martyrdom is neither necessary nor within the scope of the present worlc. 
The way in which death was met by the great majortiy of the first 
Christians may be learned from the accounts furnished so copiously by 
the Church historians, especially Eusebius. 

At the commencement of the second century, Ignatius, bishop of 
Antioch, was summoned to bear witness to the faith of Christ. So far 
from shrinking from the trial, he gloried in it. "From Syria to Rome," 
he says in his epistle to the Church at Rome,* "I fight with wild beasts, 
by land and by sea, by night and by day, being chained among ten leop* 

* Translated in Townsend's edition of Foxe's "Acts and Monuments." 



296 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

Application of the word Saint. 



ards (that is, a band of soldiers), who are made even worse by kind 
treatment. By their injuries, however, I learn daily the more to be a 
disciple of Jesus; yet am I not hereby justified. Oh that I were come 
to the real wild beasts, which are prepared for me! May I find them 
eager to despatch me! I will encourage them to devour me wi-thout delay, 
and not use me as some, whom through fear they would not touch. 
And if they will not despatch me willingly, I will provoke them to it. 
Pardon me; I know what is good for me. Now I begin to be a disciple. 
I care for nothing, of visible or invisible things, so that I may but 
win Christ. Let fire and the cross, let the companies of wild beasts, 
let breaking of bones and tearing of limbs, let the grinding of the whole 
body, and all the malice of the devil come upon me; be it so, only 
may I win Christ Jesus." 

When finally his sentence was put into execution, he stood up 
boldly and defiantly before the lions. These were cowed by his venerable 
and majestic appearance, and doubtless by that virtue which seemed to 
radiate from his body. He, however, spoke out loudly, crying, "I am 
the wheat of Christ; I am going to be ground with the teeth of wild 
beasts that I may be found pure bread." At length the ferocious animals 
seized the holy martyr and despatched him. He suffered in the eleventh 
year of Trajan, a.c 109. ^ 

1 348. What rvas the object of the epistle to the 
Ephesians ? 

St. Paul in this epistle had a two-fold object, which was 
dogmatic and hortatory. The earlier part treats of matters 
of faith, the latter chapters of the practice morality. 

1349. Ephesus was the capital of Asia Minor, and celebrated for 
its temple of Diana, to which the majority of the people of the East 
went frequently to worship. But St. Paul having upon two occasions 
preached there — the first time for nearly two years, the second for one 
year — a numerous church was established. He wrote this epistle to them 
when he was a prisoner at Rome, and sent it by Tychicus. He admonishes 
them to hold fast the faith they had received, and warns them and also 
those of the neighboring cities against the sophistry of the philosophers, 
and the doctrines of false teachers, who were come among them. It 
was written about the year 62. 

1350. Wh}) does St. Paul address the Ephesian con- 
verts as saints? (Eph. i. I.) 

Because the term, signifying holy, was appropriately 
applied to those who had been baptized and had received 
the gifts of the Holy Ghost. 

1351. The fervor and simplicity of the first Christians, their com- 
munity of goods, the cheerfulness with which they endured sufferings, 
and even laid down their lives for Christ, and the mutual charity 
existing between them, which excited the admiration of the very heathens 
themselves, doubtless gave them the best claim to be addressed as saints. 
The term had been used under the old dispensation. The rebels, Korah, 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 297 

St. Paul to the Philippians. 

Dathan, and Abiram, addressing Moses and Aaron (Numb. xvi. 3) had 
said: — "Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy 
(or saints), every one of them." But if, the faithful observers of the 
old law were thereby declared holy, with how much more reason might 
the disciples of Christ be thus addressed. — (Brown.) 

1352. Wh^ does St. Paul sa^, ''Be angr^, and sin 
not'*? (Eph. iv. 26.) 

Because he wishes to show that although anger is a 
dangerous passion, and if indulged, leading to much evil, 
it may be a just and reasonable emotion if regulated and 
directed against a legitimate object. 

1353. Our Savior was undoubtedly angry when he drove the traffick- 
ers from the temple. God is angry with evil-doers every day. The 
context, **let not the sun go down upon your wrath," shows that anger, 
however just, must not be suffered to grow. If moved to anger we must 
return without delay to a <;almness of mind and temper. 

I 354. Wh^ n^as the epistle to the Philippians mttten 
fcp St. Paul? 

To thank that congregation of Christians for their bene- 
factions to the apostle and the infant churches. Also to 
convey to them some admonitions concerning charity, unity, 
and humility, etc., and to warn them against false teachers. 

1355. Philippi, a considerable city of Macedonia, was named after 
Philip, father to Alexander the Great. St. Paul had preached there, 
as related in Acts xvi. The Philippians had a great veneration for the 
apostle, and supplied his wants when he was at Corinth, and again when 
he was a prisoner at Rome, sending to him by Epaphroditus, who is 
thought to have been the Bishop of Philippi. 

This epistle is written throughout in a very animated and elevated 
style. It is full of the most sublime and the most affectionate exhorta- 
tions: it resembles more the production of a father addressing his chil- 
dren, than that of an apostle laying down authoritatively what is to be 
received and followed. The whole of it shows how very much St, Paul 
loved and estimated those to whom he addressed it.* 

1 356. Who were the bishops and deacons mentioned? 
(Phil. i. 1.) 

By bishops many understand those who were only the 
chief ministers of particular churches, not the superintend- 
ents of diocesses as at present. St. Chrysostom also ob- 

*Dr. Kitto. 



298 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

Epistles to the Colossians and Thessalonians. 

serves that the name deacon was applied to any minister 
under the **bishop/* 

1357. Wh}) does St Paul (Phil. i. 7) speak of his 
^'bonds'* and the ''defense of the gospel* ' ? 

Because he was then enduring his first imprisonment at 
Rome, and was waiting for his trial as a Christian before 
the tribunals. 

1358. Who was Clement, mentioned Phil. iv. 3? 
The disciple **whose name is in the book of life" was 

the fourth bishop of Rome. 

1359. The church at Corinth having been disturbed by divisions, 
Clement wrote a letter to the Corinthians, which was so much esteemed 
by the ancients, that they read it publicly in many churches. It is 
still extant, and some have inclined to rank it among the canonical 
writings. It breathes a spirit of true Christian charity and simplicity. 
We have no authentic accounts of what occurred to Clement during*^ the 
persecutions of Domitian; we are assured that he lived to the third 
year of Trajan, a.c. 160. — (Calmet.) 

1360. Wh^ rvas the epistle to the Colossians Tvritten? 
Because St. Paul wished to disabuse that church of 

some errors that had been taught by Cerinthus, a heretic, 
concerning the angels, whom he (Cerinthus) had placed 
superior to Christ, and recommended the Colossians to 
worship. 

1361. St. Paul begins his epistle by insisting chiefly on the exalted 
state of Christ, saying, that *'He is the image of the invisible God, the 
first-born of every creature: For by him were all things created that 
are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether thev 
be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were 
created by him, and for him; and he is before all things, and by him 
all things consist.*' (Col. i. 15.) From this argument he deduces the 
inutility of the Jewish law, its ceremonies, etc. 

The epistle was dated by St. Paul from his prison at Rome, shortly 
before his death. 

1362. Why did St. Paul Jvrite the epistles to the 
Thessalonians ? 

Because after preaching in their city, and making numer- 
ous converts a number of unbelievijig Jews, envying his suc- 
cess, raised a commotion against him, and he, with his 
companion Silas, were obliged to quit the place. 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 299 

The Second Coming of Christ. 



1363. But coming to Corinth he wrote there the first and second 
epistles in order to confirm the faith of the new disciples. 

In the former the apostle gives many encouragements to his flock 
to persevere, and, in order to refute some errors upon the subject then 
rife, 'treats of the resurrection of the dead and the after state of souis. 
In the second he speaks of the day of final retributions, and priys 
for his flock. This second epistle was sent soon after the first, /. e.. 
about the year 52. 

I 364. Wh}) is there in the epistle to the Thessalonians 
not a single quotation from the Old Testament? 

Because the persons addressed were for the most part 
Gentiles, to whom the Hebrew Scriptures were totally un- 
known. 

1365. The one exception to this remark is in the use of the word 
Satan (1 Thess. ii. 18), with which name the Gentiles could not have 
been acquainted except through the sacred text. 

1 366. IVh^ are the Thessalonians said to have received 
the word in much affliction? (1 Thess. i. 6.) 

The apostle here refers to the tribulations they brought 
upon themselves by their reception of the gospel. 

1367. Wh}; are the unbelieving Jews said (I Thess. ii. 
16) to ''fill up their sin always'* ? 

The meaning of the passage is, that these persons were 
hastening, as it were, to exhaust the patience of God, to fill 
lip the measure of his anger and their sins. 

1368. The Jews filled up the measure of their sins by the opposi- 
tion they everywhere showed to the religion of Christ. The earliest 
father^ of the church testify that they dispersed emissaries into every 
nation to blaspheme the name of Christ, and hence sprung the evil fame 
which Christians bore among the Pagans. As, for instance, the reports 
that in their concealed Celebrations they sacrificed young infants and 
drank their blood — that they sacrificed to an ass' head, etc. These 
base calumnies are plentifully related in the apology of St. Justin, by 
Tertullian, Origen, and others, who accuse the Jews openly of being the 
authors of them. 

1 369. Why does St. Paul caution the Thessalonians 
concerning the day of our Lord's second appearance? (2 
Thess. ii. 1-3.*) 

* **Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 

"That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by 
spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ 
is at hand," 



300 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Account of Timothy. 



Because there was a very prevalent belief at that time 
that the end of the world was very near at hand. It was 
commonly received by both the Jewish and Gentile converts, 
that the destruction of Jerusalem and the day of final retri- 
bution would be nearly if not absolutely coincident. 

1370. Some false teachers, taking advantage of certain expressions 
in the first epistle (1 Thess. v. 2, 3), had began to sound a terrible 
alarm, declaring that the last day was immediately approaching. St. 
Paul in this passage takes occasion to allay these apprehensions by show- 
ing that many events had yet to occur, which of necessity should precede 
the second appearance of Christ — that the Thessalonians were not to be 
shaken by the assertions of these unauthorized alarmists, but were 
calmly to await the day, whenever it might arrive. 

1 371. Wh}) rvere the Thessalonians exhorted (2 Thess. 
ii. 15) to ''hold the traditions which'* they ''had been 
taught, yvhether by word or by epistle'* ? 

Because the New Testament Scriptures had not then 
been written, or at least not in such a complete way as to 
preclude the necessity for an oral communication of doc- 
trine and practice. 

1372. Why does the second epistle conclude thus: — 
"The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the 
tol^cn in every letter** ? 

Because in every case the epistles were written by an 
amanuensis, with the exception of an autograph postcript. — 
(Conybeare.) 

1373. The apostle here gives the Thessalonians a caution against the 
spurious apostles who had crept in among them. They are to beware 
of fictitious letterwriters ; they had been deceived by such. This decep- 
tion he is anxious to remove, signing the present communication with 
his own hand, and sealing it with his own seal; for although the rest 
of the epistle had been written by another, these concluding words were 
written by himself. 

1374. Who was Timothy? 

He was a native either of Derbe or Lystra, cities of 
Lycaonia, and a distinguished disciple and fellow-laborer 
of St. Paul. 

1375. His father was a Gentile, but his mother a Jewess. Her 
name was Eunice, and his grandmother's name was Lois. St. Paul com- 
mends their piety, and the good education they had given Timothy. 



KNOWLEEXiE OF THE BIBLE. 301 

St. Paul's Epistle to Timothy. 



When St. Paul came to Derbe and Lystra, about a.c. 51 or 52, the 
brethren reported very advantageously of the merit and good disposition 
of Timothy, and the apostle elected to take him as a companion. He 
circumcised him at Lystra. Timothy applied himself to labor assiduously 
in the gospel, and did St. Paul very important services through the 
whole course of his preaching. It is not known when he was made 
bishop, but it is believed that he received very early the imposition of 
the apostle's hands, and this in consequence of a particular revelation 
or order from the Holy Ghost. (1 Tim. iv. 14; 2 Tim. i. 6.) St. 
Paul names him not only, his dearly beloved son, but also his brother, 
the companion of his labors, and a man of God, observing that there was 
none more united with him in heart and mind than Timothy. 

He accompanied St. Paul to Macedonia, to Philippi, to Thessalonica, 
and to Berea, where he remained to confirm the converts. When at 
Athens, St. Paul sent for him to visit him there. He was afterwards 
sent to Thessalonica, and, generally speaking, accompanied his great 
master through the whole of his journeyings. 

In the year 63, when St. Paul wrote the epistle to the Hebrews, he 
tells them that Timothy was come out of prison; but he mentions no 
circumstances either of the imprisonment or of the delivery of this 
disciple. 

It is thought that Timothy was the penman of the chief part or 
nearly the whole of the epistle to the Hebrews. Some Greek copies 
hint as much, and it is expressly affirmed by the Syriac copies obtained 
by Dr. Buchanan from the Syriac Christians in India. 

1376. Wh^ were the epistles to Timoth}) rvritten? 
Because it was necessary for their author, being near 

his end by martyrdom, to leave some special directions to his 
disciple towards the correction of error and the government 
of the infant church. 

1377. St. Paul wrote to Timothy the first of the two letters from 
Macedonia, A.C. 64 or 65. (1 Tim. vi. 23.) He recommends him to be 
moderate in his austerities, and to drink a little wine for his health's 
sake. After the apostle went to Rome, a.c. 65, being now near his 
death, he wrote to him his second letter, which is full of kindness and 
tenderness for this his dear disciple, and which is justly considered as 
the last will of St. Paul. He desires him to come to him before winter, 
and to bring with him several things that St. Paul had left at Troas. 
If Timothy went to Rome, as is possible, he must have been a witness 
there of the martyrdom of St. Paul, a.c. 66. — (Calmet.) 

1378. Why is it supposed that Timothy suffered mar- 
tyrdom ? 

Because the **Acts of Timothy,*' of which Phocius has 
transmitted to us an abridgment, impart that on January 22, 
A. C. 97, the pagans of Ephesus made a great feast, in 
which they carried in procession the images of their gods, 
being masked and armed with great clubs; that Timothy 
rushed in among them to prevent this idolatrous superstition, 



302 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



St. Paul's Epistle to Titus. 



but they killed him with stones and with their clubs. — 
(Calmet.) 

1379. Who was Demas, mentioned 2 Tim. iv. 10.^ 
He was at first a zealous disciple of St. Paul, and very 

serviceable to him during his imprisonment; but some years 
afterwards (about A. D. 65) he forsook the apostle to fol- 
low a more secular life. 

1380. He withdrew to Thessalonica, his native city. Epiphanius 
informs us that he renounced the faith, and embraced the heresy of 
Cerinthus, who held Jesus Christ to be a mere man. Dorotheus, in his 
Synopsis, says that he became an idolatrous priest at Thessalonica; others 
affirm that he recovered after his fall. 

1381. Who was Alexander the coppersmith? (I Tim. 
i. 20; 2 Tim. iv. 14.) 

He was a great opponent of the apostles, a relapsed 
convert as is supposed, who was * 'delivered over to Satan'' 
by St. Paul on account of blasphemy. 

1 382. Whdt is meant h^ the lion from which St, Paul 
speaks of being delivered? (2 Tim. iv. 17.) 

All commentators agree that by this lion is meant the 
Emperor Nero, from whose hands the apostle was unexpect- 
edly delivered after his first imprisonment at Rome. 

1 383. Wh^ is Timothy exhorted to make '^diligence to 
come before winter''? (2 Tim. iv. 21.) 

Because at that early period, when the art of navigation 
was in its infancy, it was usual to journey by sea in the 
summer and part of the spring and autumn only. 

' 1384. At the approach of winter shilps were usually taken to pieces, 
or drawn up upon the land. In illustration of this fact see Acts xxvii. 
and xxviii., for St. Paul's voyage from Palestine to Italy; see also 
Philp's *'History of Progress," section Navigation. 

1385. Who was Titus? 

He was a disciple of St. Paul, a Gentile by religion 
and birth, but was converted by St. Paul, who calls him his 
son. 

1386. St. Jerome says that he was St. Paul's interpreter, and this 
probably because he might write what the apostle dictated; or explain 
in Latin what St. Paul said in Greek; or render into Greek what St. 
Paul said in Hebrew or Syriac. He visited Jerusalem at the time of 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 303 



St. Paul's Epistle to Philemon. 



the dispute about circumcision. Some would have had Titus submit to 
the Jewish initiatory rite, but to this neither St. Paul nor Titus would 
consent. He was sent by the same apostle to Corinth towards the 
end of A.c. 56, on occasion of some disputes in the church. He was 
very well received by the Corinthians, and much satisfied with their 
ready compliance, but would receive nothing from them, thereby imitating 
the disinterestedness of his master. 

From Corinth he went to St. Paul in Macedonia, and gave him 
an account of the state of the Corinthian church. (2 Cor. vii. 6, 15.) 
A little while afterwards the apostle desired him to return to Corinth, 
to regulate things against his own coming. Titus readily undertook 
this journey, and departed immediately (2 Cor. viii. 5, 16, 17), carrying 
with him St. Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. Titus was made 
Bishop of Crete about a.d. 63, when St. Paul was obliged to quit this 
island to take care of the other churches. (Tit. i. v.) The following 
year he wrote to him to desire him, that as soon as he should have 
sent Tychicus or Artemas to him to supply his place in Crete, Titus 
would come to him to Nicopolis in Macedonia, where the apostle intended 
to pass the winter. (Tit. iii. 12.) 

1387. Wh^ was the episte to Titus rvritten? 

In order to convey to that disciple and bishop some 
directions and admonitions touching the ordination of min- 
isters and the qualities that should be found in them. 

1388. The subject of this epistle, written a.d. 64, is to represent 
to Titus the qualities of a bishop. A*s a principal function of Titus in 
the isle of Crete was to ordain priests and bishops, it was highly 
incumbent on him to make a discreet choice. The apostle also suggests 
the advice and instructions that he should give to -all sorts of persons — 
to the aged, both men and women — to young people of each sex — to 
slaves and servants. He exhorts him to exercise a strict authority over 
the Cretans, and to reprove them with severity, as a people addicted 
to lying, idleness, and gluttony; and as there were many converted Jews 
in Crete, he exhorts Titus to oppose their vain traditions and fables; 
also the observation of the legal ceremonies, as no longer necessary; to 
show that the distinction of meats is abolished, and that every thing 
is pure and clean to those who are pure. He puts him in mind of 
exhorting the faithful to be obedient to temporal powers; to avoid dis- 
putes, quarrels, and. slander; to apply themselves to honest callings; and 
to shun the company of heretics, after the first and second admonition. 
— (Calmet.) 

1389. Wh^ was the epistle to Philemon written? 

In order to reconcile that eminent convert with his 
servant, or slave, Onesimus, who had absconded from Phile- 
mon's house at Colossae and fled to Rome. 

•* 

1390. The epistle was written by St. Paul when a prisoner for the 
first time in Rome, about the year 61. It contains, says St. Chrysostom, 
"divers profitable instructions and marks of the apostle's charity towards 
a slave or fugitive servant." Erasmus says of this epistle: — "Cicero 
never wrote with greater elegance." 

The house of Philemon at Colossse had become a church, or was 
so considered on account of the great facilities it offered for the 



304 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



The Epistle to the Hebrews. 



assemblages of the Christian converts. At the time when St. Paul wrote 
this epistle, he was in full expectation of being set at liberty and of 
paying a visit to the Colossians. Hence the invitation (in verse 22) 
to Philemon to prepare a lodging for its author. 

"It is impossible," says Doddridge, "to read over this admirable 
epistle without being touched with the delicacy of sentiment, and the 
masterly address, that appear in every part of it. We see here, in a 
most striking light, how perfectly consistent true politeness is, — not 
only with all the warmth and sincerity of a friend, but even with the 
dignity of the Christian and the Apostle. And if this letter were to 
be considered in no other view than as a mere human composition, it 
must be allowed to be a master-piece in its kind. As an illustration of 
this remark, it may not be improper to compare it with an epistle of 
Pliny, that seems to have been written on a similar occasion (Lib. ix.. 
Let. 21); which, though penned by one that was reckoned to excel in 
the epistolary style, though it has undoubtedly many beauties, yet must 
be acknowledged by every impartial reader vastly inferior to this animated 
composition of the Apostle." 

The epistle contains but one chapter, yet it comprises an epitom^ 
of the whole spirit of the New Testament. 

1391. Wh^ was the epistle to the Hebrews mitten? 
The main design of the epistle is to show that every 

one's justification and salvation is to be hoped for by the 
grace and merits of Christ and not from the law of Moses. 

1392. Why IS St. Pauls epistle to the Hebrews so 
called ? 

Because it was written and addressed to those Chris- 
tians in Palestine who had formerly been Jews. 

1393. As St. Paul had shown in his epistles to the Galatians and 
Romans. To the former he had demonstrated that righteousness could 
not be, obtained through circumcision and the ceremonies of the law; to 
the latter, that even the moral precepts and works of the law were 
insufficient without the grace of Christ. In this, to the Hebrew, St. Paul 
proves that righteousness is not to be -obtained through the sacrifices of 
the old law. 

1 394. Wh}) were doubts for a long time held as to the 
authorship of this epistle? 

1 . Because, contrary to his usual and the ordinary cus- 
tom, St. Paul had not appended his name thereto. 2. Be- 
cause it differs from his other epistles in style. 

1395. St. Jerome says: — "The epistle which bears the title 'to the 
Hebrews,* is thought by some not to be St. Paul's, from the difference 
of style and phrase; but they judge that it was written by Barnabas, 
as Tertullian supposes, or by St. Luke, as others think; or else of 
Clement, afterwards bishop of Rome, who, as they say, compiling together 
the sayings and sentences of Paul, phrased them in his own style and 
manner. Or others, as some judge, because St. Paul writing to the 
Hebrews, on account of the odiousness of his name among that people, 
suppressed it in the first entry of his salutation contrary to his accustomed 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 305 

The Epistle of St. James. 

practice, and as he wrote to the Hebrews, being himself a Hebrew, so 
he wrote in Hebrew — that is, his own tongue — the more eloquently; and 
this afterward was translated into more eloquent Greek than St. Paul 
was accustomed to write. And that is thought to be the cause why it 
differeth from his other epistles." 

1 396. When and where was the epistle to the Hebrews 
written ? 

St. Paul wrote this epistle about the year A. C. 63, and 
either at Rome or in some other part of Italy. 

1397. This latter fact is deduced from Heb. xiii. 2A — "Salute all 
that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They oj Italy salute you." 

1 398. What are the principal contents of the Epistle to 
the Hebrews? 

From the first to the third chapters inclusively, the apos- 
tle exhorts the Hebrews to the belief in Christ, by showing 
his dignity and pre-eminence above the angels, and above 
Moses; from the fourth to the eighth chapter, that the priest- 
hood of Christ was above that of Aaron; thence to the 
middle of chapter ten, that the new law and testament is 
preferable to the old; in the eleventh and twelfth chapters 
he commends faith, from the example of the ancient patri- 
archs; similar exhortations compose the rest of the book. 

1 399. Wh^ is the epistle to the Hebrews placed last in 
order among St. Pauls writings.^ 

1 . Because it was the last written in point of time ; and 
2, because much disputation had arisen with respect to its 
authorship and canonicity. 

1400. After a careful weighing of the arguments on both sides, the 
epistle was finally inserted in the canon of Scripture at the council 
of Carthage, a.c. 397. 

1401. Wh\) is the general epistle of James so called.^ 
Because it was addressed, like several of the following 

epistles, not to any particular church or person, but to the 
general body of Christians throughout the world. 

1402. Wh^ is the writer of this epistle termed ''the 
lesser,'' or *'St. James the Less'\^ 

Because he was the younger of the two apostles of that 
name, or the last called. 



306 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

Epistles of Saints Peter and John. 



1403. He is called the son of Alpheus. Alpheus is a Grecized 
form of the Aramaic Cltophas. Hence St. James the Less was the son 
of Mary the sister of Christ's mother, and the cousin of our Lord. He 
was one of the apostles, and was the first bishop of Jerusalem. This 
epistle was written about the year 62. The chief contents are: — 1. To 
show the combined importance of faith and good works. (James i.) 
2. An exhortation to patience, to ask for the divine gift of wisdom and 
of grace. 3. An unbridled use of the tongue is reprobated. 4. Admoni- 
tions against pride, vanity, ambition, etc. 5. Against disorderly desires. 
6. The anointing of the sick with oil in the name of the Lord is ordered 
(James v. 14). 7. Exhortation to prayer. 

This epistle is said by St. Augustine to have been written to refute 
the rising errors of Simon Magus, the Nicholaites, and other innovators. 
It is believed to have been composed in Greek, from the fact that the 
apostle quotes the Old Scriptures from the Septuagint version (as James 
iv. 6), and as this language was commonly spoken in the East by the 
dispersed Jews to whom he wrote. The style is concise and sententious, 
like that of Solomon in the Proverbs, and like the maxims of the Orientals 
even to the present day. 

1404. Why were the epistles of St, Peter written!! 

They were written and addressed to the converts (prin- 
cipally from Judaism) scattered throughout Asia Minor and 
the adjacent countries, in order to confirm them in the faith, 
and to regulate some matters of discipline. 

1405. Both epistles were written from Rome. From some expres- 
sions (2 Epis. i. 14) it would appear that their date was just previous 
to St. Peter's martyrdom, A.c. 68. The diction used is equally simple 
and dignified. 

1406. Wh}^ were the three epistles of St. John written? 
They would appear to have been written to confirm the 

doctrines of the Trinity and of the Incarnation of Christ; 
topics which had previously been largely treated of in the 
evangelical history of the same apostle. Besides which they 
enforce strongly the duty of love to God and our neighbor, 
and in this respect are in accordance with the received char- 
acter of the disciple whom Jesus loved. 

1407. They are considered to have been written about sixty-six years 
after our Lord's ascension. The first epistle does not appear to be 
addressed to any particular person. The second is addressed to one 
Electa, a lady of piety and charity; and the third epistle to Gains, a 
friend and supporter of the infant churches. 

1 408. Wh]) does the evangelist John in his second epis- 
tle (verse 1 I ) forbid a Christian to salute a man of another 
sect ? 

Because from the nature of the ancient, and especially 
the Oriental, methods of salutation, such a course would 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 307 

Epistle of St. Jude. 

have carried an erroneous appearance, and would have pos- 
sessed the very injurious effect of confounding distinctions 
and giving encouragement to heresy. 

1409. The exhuberance and ardor of Eastern salutations have been 
already noticed (page 80). It may be added here, that the Hebrews 
were sometimes so animated in these ceremonials as to repeat not less 
than ten times the grasping of hands, and kissing, and the interrogations 
respecting each other's health. Of course a great portion of this cere- 
monial was thoroughly insincere, and so inconsistent with the Christian 
profession. 

1410. Wh^ does St. John (2 John i. 1) call himself 
the elder? 

Because probably on account of his great age, St. John 
being the last survivor of the twelve apostles. 

1411. The term elder was also used to designate the presiding 
minister or bishop of a particular church. 

1412. Wh^ is the absence of the apostle Johns name 
from the first of his three epistles no proof that he did not 
write it? 

Because it was rather characteristic of the beloved dis- 
ciple to omit the mention of his own name, as may be 
observed in the gospel according to St. John, where, when 
speaking of himself, he calls himself **the disciple." 

1413. Wh^ TPas the epistle of St. Jude n?ritten? 
Because of certain heresies broached by the Simonians. 

Nicolaites, and Gnostics. The apostle condemns these in- 
novators, and describes their doings in very strong terms, 
exhorting the faithful followers of Christ to contend earnestly 
for the faith first delivered to them, and to beware of false 
teachers. 

1414. From a passage in verse 17, this epistle would seem to have 
been penned when all the apostles, except perhaps St. John, had "entered 
into their rest," for he speaks of the period at which he addresses his 
readers, as the last time, or the latter days, foretold by the other 
apostles. 

In connection with the history of St. Jude, a very interesting account 
is given by Eusebius (Hist. Eccl., lib. iii. cap. 20) of the examination 
of two nephews of the apostle by the emperor Domitiap, a.c. 95-96. It 
is as follows: — 

"This Domitian feared the coming of Christ, as Herod did, and 
therefore commanded all in Jewry, who were known to be of the stock 
of David to be killed. There were remaining alive at that time certain 
of the Lord's kindred, nephews of Jude, who was called our Lord's 



308 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

The Book of Revelation. 



brother after the flesh. When the commissary had brought these up 
before Domitian, the emperor demanded of them whether they were of 
the stock of David. Which, when they had granted, he asked again 
what possessions and substance they had. They answered that they both 
had no iliore between them, in all, but nine and thirty acres of ground; 
and how they got their living and sustained their families with the 
hard labors of their hands; showing forth their hands unto the emperor, 
being hard and rough, worn with labors, to witness that to be true 
which they had spoken. Then the emperor inquired of them concerning 
the kingdom of Christ, what manner of kingdom it was, how and when 
it should appear? They answered, that his kingdom was no worldly 
nor terrene thing, but an heavenly and angelical kingdom, and that .it 
should appear in the consummation and end of the world, what time He, 
coming in glory, should judge the quick and the dead, and render to 
every one according to his deservings. Domitian, the emperor, hearing 
this (as the saying is), did not condemn them, but despising them as 
vile persons, let them go, and also stayed the persecution against the 
Christians. They being thus discharged and dismissed, afterward had 
the government of churches, being taken for martyrs, and as of the Lord's 
kindred; and so continued in good peace till the time of Trajan." — 
(Foxe's translation.) 

1415. What rvas the hook of Enoch quoted by the 
apostle Jude in his epistle? (Verse 14.) 

It is doubtful whether the words quoted in this epistle 
were taken from an actual writing then or formerly in ex- 
istence, or whether a knowledge of them had been handed 
down to the apostolic days by tradition. Many ancient 
writers mention an apocryphal book of the prophecies of 
Enoch, yet St. John might know them from the immediate 
inspiration of God. 

1416. This work is undoubtedly lost. Alleged copies of the book of 
Enoch exist at Paris and Rome. The book was never received into the 
canon, i. e,, among those about which no reasonable doubt exists, but 
has been ranked with the deuterocanonical of* apocryphal books. 

1417. Bp Tphom was the book of Revelation written? 
By the apostle St. John, who, being banished by the 

Emperor Domitian to the island of Patmos, received these 
extraordinary communications from heaven, and wrote the 
book there. 

1418. St. John's own account says that, being an exile for the 
truth of the gospel in the said island, the Revelations were made to 
him immediately from God, or immediately through angelic messengers, 
that he was directed to write them in a book^ and to transmit them 
to certain persons or churches. In the first, second, and third chapters 
are contained the instructions and exhortations which St. John was 
commanded to write to the seven bishops (or angels) of the churches 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 309 



The Revelation. 



of Asia. The remaining chapters contain prophetical matters referring 
to the afflictions of the Christian Church, and to the end of the world. 
The Revelations were written in Greek. 

This sublime but mysterious book was very generally, if not 
universally ascribed to the apostle John during the first two centuries; 
and when this began to be questioned in the third century, it was 
evidently in consequence of certain erroneous explanations of particular 
parts which led to expectations, the disappointment of which disposed 
men for a time to doubt the authority of the predictions on which they 
had been founded. The doubts which were about this time entertained 
were however soon removed; and although the book was not publicly 
read in the early Christian churches, this was from its mysterious char- 
acter, rather than from any doubt of the authority which it claimed. 
— (Kitto's "Pictorial Bible.") 

1419. Wh^ have so man}) various interpretations been 
put upon the prophetical portions of the hook of the Reve- 
lation? 

1 . Because of the very dark and symbolical language 
in which it is couched. 2. Because of the great interest 
which such a book would naturally excite, referring, as it 
evidently does, to the end of the world — the final judgment 
— the state of the saints in heaven — the reprobate souls, etc. 

1420. With regard to the interpretation of the book of Revelation, 
St. Jerome says that it contains ''as many mysteries as words, or rather 
mysteries in every word." (Epis. ad Paulm. t. 4, p. 574, edit. Benedict.) 
The connection of sublime and prophetical ideas, which comprise this 
work, has at all times been a labyrinth in which the greatest geniuses 
have lost themselves, and a rock on which most commentators have 
split, the great Sir Isaac Newton not excepted. Scaliger praises Calvin 
by saying, "He was too w-ise to write about the Revelation." How- 
ever, there have been more dissertations written upon the subject than 
perhaps upon any other connected with the Scriptures. That the writers 
differ widely in their interpretations, can be a matter of no surprise, 
when it is seen that St. Jerome the compiler of the Vulgate, and Calvin, 
equally despair of affording a true solution. 

1 42 1 . Where is the island of Patmos, to which St. John 
was banished, and in which he received the ''Revelation \^ 

It is situate in the Icarian Sea, about thirty miles distant 
from the nearest part of the western coast of Asia Minor. 

1422. It is at present called Patino. On account of its stern and 
desolate character, the Roman emperors made it a kind of penal settle- 
ment, or at least a place to which State criminals might be appropriately 
sent. To this island accordingly the apostle was banished by Domitian 
towards the end of his reign, or about the year a.c. 95. It is stated, 
upon the authority of Tertullian, that this banishment took place after 
the apostle had . been miraculously delivered unhurt from a vessel of 
flaming oil, into which he had been cast. 



310 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

The Revelation. 

1423. Wh^ are the heads of the leaders of the seven 
churches designated angels? 

Because in the prophetic style everything is called an 
angel that notifies a message from God, or executes the will 
of God. 

1424. Both the Hebrew and the Greek words signify messenger. But 
in the Scriptures a prophetic dream is called an angel (although occasion- 
ally we find that real manifest angels, that is, spirits in a partly 
human form, appeared). The pillar of fire that went before the Israelites 
is called God's angel. The winds and flames of fire are angels to us 
when used by God to teach us, or as rods to punish us. The angel of a 
nation denotes its king or ruler. The angels of the churches were no 
other than the ecclesiastical ministers set over them — whether bishops, 
priests, or elders. It is to be understood that the admonitions addressed 
to the angels of the seven churches applied to the members of those 
churches rather than, if at all, to the ministers. 

1425. IVh}) is our Savior called Alpha and O/nega-r— 
the beginning and the end? (Rev. i. 8, xxi. 6.) 

Because the former, alpha, the first letter of the Greek 
alphabet, derived from aleph the first of the Hebrew alpha- 
bet, stands for one, or **the first;'* omega is the last or 
concluding letter. 

1426. Our Lord is called alpha and omega, which is equivalent to 
saying that he is the beginning and the end of both the divine dispensa- 
tions. Besides this, the Hebrew aleph, A, signifies chief (Gen. xxxvi.), 
leader, guide, or conductor; a friend on whom reliance may be placed. 
Taking it in the former, which is the most general and usual sense, it 
applies very expressively to our Lord Christ. Moreover, as it is a 
thought after the Jewish manner, it forms one of the arguments for the 
"Revelation" being written by a person of that nation, as such a thought 
would not have occurred to a stranger who might have attempted the 
forgery. — (Calmet.) 

1427. Who was meant h]) ''the angel of the Church of 
Ephesus' ? 

Timothy, St. Paul's disciple, was made first bishop of 
Ephesus by the apostle, who laid his hands upon him. If it 
be true that Timothy did not die till A.C. 97, it can scarce- 
ly be denied that he was the person to whom a reprimand is 
addressed. (Rev. ii. 1—5.) — (Calmet.) 

1428. Bossuet says. "We must not suppose the faults which are 
reproved by St. John, to belong individually to Timothy, but to some 
members of the Ephesian church," 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



31 



The Seven Churches. 




COIN OF EPHESUS. 



Ephesus, a celebrated city of Ionia, in Asia Minor, was principally 
remarkable for its temple of Diana, the magnificence of which attracted 
an infinite resort of 
strangers. The coin of 
Ephesus annexed, is taken 
from Calmet. It repre- 
sents the temple, or 
shrine of Diana, en- 
throned in her famous 
sanctuary. The style of 
medal may give some idea 
of the craft of Demetrius, 
mentioned Acts xix. 24, 
who was a maker of sil- 
ver shrines and images; 
models of this temple; 
and doubtless of other 
emblems attendant on her. 
With regard to the figure 
representing Diana, it will 
be observed that her 
head is surrounded with 
a glory; on its top is the 

modius whence issues a flower. She has many breasts, indicating the 
many nutritive powers of nature. 

1429. Who were the Nicolaiianes (mentioned Rev. 
ii. 6) .^ 

They formed an infamous sect, who disturbed the rising 
church by the superstitions and all the impurities of pagan- 
ism. (St. Aug. de Haeresib.) 

1430. The Nicolaitanes were rather numerous in Asia during the 
first century. They claimed to be founded by Nicholas the deacon; 
but this person was a devout man. one of the first seven deacons of 
whom St. Stephen was one, and is not to be blamed for their malpractices. 
In opposition to the plain directions given by the first council at Jeru- 
salem, they chose to eat meat that had been offered to idols, and were 
very lax upon the matter of fornication. It is true that they pretended 
to exorcise the meat, but fornicators were always forgiven eight days 
after the offense had been committed. The fathers universally looked 
upon the Nicolaitanes as libertines. 

1431. Who n?as the angel of the church of Smyrna? 
(Rev. ii. 8-10.) 

It is generally supposed to have been Polycarp (called 
St. Polycarp in the Martyrologies) , who was made bishop 
of that church by the apostle John. 

1432. The commendations given to the angel of the church of 
Smyrna agree with what is known otherwise of this great martyr, and 
it 18 observable that the letter contains no reproach. Calmet adds, 



312 KNOWLEEXiE OF THE BIBLE. 

The Seven Churches. 



"There is some probability that the martyrdom of St. Germanicus and 
others of Smyrna, who suffered under Marcus Aurelius, was what St, 
John had in view when he says — L e., on the part of Jesus Christ — 
the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and 
ye shall have tribulation ten days; be thou faithful unto death, and 1 
will give thee a crown of life." The situation of Smyrna is well known; 
it is a city of Asia Minor, on the Archipelago. 

1433. Who Jvas the angel of the church of Pergamos? 
(Rev. ii. 12.) 

Eusebius says that this bishop's name was Corpas. He 
is commended in the text for his faithfulness, although his 
see is designated as Satan's seat. 

1434. Pergamos was a considerable city of Troas, or the region 
wherein the ancient city of Troy had stood, or Phrygia. It is celebrated 
as the place where parchment was first made; hence the term pergamena. 
The Nicolaitanes were here in great force. The doctrine of these heretics 
is pointed out in verse 14, and compared with the sin of Balaam. (Num. 
xxiv. and xxxi. 16.) ^ 

1435. Who was the Antipas mentioned, in connection 
rvith th church of Pergamos, as the ''faithful martyr*'? 
(Rev. ii. 13.) 

He was one of the first disciples of our Savior ; his 
**acts" relate that he suffered death by being burned in a 
brazen bell. — (Calmet.) 

1436. Who rvas the angel of the church of Th})atira? 
Opinions are divided upon this matter, and it cannot 

with any certainty be said who this person was. 

1437. Thyatira was a city of Asia Minor. The term Jezebel is 
understood to denote figuratively a very wicked woman, who used her 
beauty and influence in connection with the Nicolaitanes to corrupt and 
pervert the faithful Christians of that church. Some very powerful 
arguments, if any are wanting, in favor of the divinity of Jesus Christ, 
are to be drawn from the verses addressed to the church at Thyatira. 
The attributes of the Son of God in verses 18, 19, are such as Iselon^; 
only to God himself. God alone is the searcher of hearts; He alone 
can give people "space to repent" (ver. 21). He alone can give the 
saints "power over the nations," "to rule them with a rod of iron," 
and to break opposing powers to atoms, "as the gavels of a potter" are 
broken to shivers. 

1438. Who jvas the angel of the church of Sardis? 
The bishop of this church is not known by name. There 

was a Christian writer of the name of Melito, who presided 
over this church during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, about 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 313 

The Seven Churches. 

A.C. 1 70 or 1 75, The person above alluded to was most 
probably his predecessor. 

1439. Why his name has not come down to us is probably due to 
the fact, that he did not merit any great commendation. His works were 
''not found perfect before God" (Rev. iii. 2). Sardis was a city of 
Asia Minor, formerly the capital of Croesus, king of the Lydians. 

1440. Who TV as the angel of the church of Philadel- 
phia? 

It was most probably Quadratus, a disciple of the apos- 
tles, and the author of a written apology for the Christian 
religion, presented to the Emperor Adrian. 

1441. There were several towns bearing the name of Philadelphia. 
This was a city of Mysia, in Asia Minor. 

1442. Who was the angel of the church of the Laodi- 
ceans ? 

It is not known at present what the name of this bishop 
was, and this is probably for the same reason that those of 
some others are not remembered, namely, that the bearers 
of them did not merit that distinction. 

1443. There are several cities bearing the name of Laodicea. The 
one in Question was of Phrygia, on the river Lycus, near Colossae. Its 
ancient name was Diospolis, afterwards Rhoas. Lastly, Antiochus, son 
ol Stratonice. rebuilt it. and called .it Laodicea, from the name of his 
wife Laodice. 

1444. Wh'^ is the word ''Amen' applied as a name or 
title to the Almighty? (Rev. iii. 14.) 

Becaue in Hebrew it signifies **true," **faithful,'* **cer- 
tain." Christ here takes the title of **The Amen,'* as if he 
said, **I am the truth.*' 

1445. What is meant by **a book written within and 
on the backside'' ? (Rev. v. 1.) 

Books were then skins, membranes, or parchments; and 
when written on both sides part of the writing appeared, 
though they were rolled up. 

1446. Why was the book sealed with seven seals? 
(Rev. V. 1.) 

To signify that it contained mysteries and secrets of 
high importance. 



314 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE, 



Notes on the Revelation. 



1447. According to Pliny, at Rome testaments were null and void 
without the testator's seal, and the seals of seven witnesses. 

1 448. IVh^ is it said that the number of the children of 
Israel saved, or signed rvith the mark of the Divine accept- 
ance, nyas **a hundred and forty-four thousand''? (Rev. 
vii. 4.) 

Venerable Bede, in his commentary, thus explains the 
meaning of this passage: — 

1449. "The number of one hundred and forty-four thousand is not 
to be taken in a literal and strict sense, but to express in general terms 
the great number of the elect; for it appears that the tribe of Dan, which 
must have produced some elect, is not mentioned, and the tribe of 
Joseph is put in lieu of that of Ephraim; so that if it be supposed 
that these numbers must be taken literally, the tribe of Joseph would 
have produced a double number to that of any other tribe, since Manasseh 
was his son, and the tribe of Dan would have produced nonec" 

1450. Wh)) are the blessed in heaven represented as 
clothed in white garments? (Rev. vii. 9.) 

1 . Because they denoted holiness and purity of life. 
2. They were tokens of joy and pleasure. 3. In the pro- 
phetic style they indicated prosperity and success. 

1451. Thus Pharaoh honored Joseph by arraying him in vestures 
ol fine linen. And in Rev. xix. 8. fine linen is interpreted to mean 
the righteousness of saints, as well as a mark of honor. The bride is 
said to be arrayed in it, "clean and white," in allusion to the custom 
of Eastern nations. It was used in the patriarchal times, also among 
both the Greeks "and Romans. In the primitive church, persons, so soon 
as baptized, received new and white garments, in token of their being 
cleansed from all past sins, and as an emblen^ of that innocence and 
purity to which they had then bound themselves. They were called 
candidati from candidus, '*white," and hence our English word candidate. 
These garments were worn for seven days (from Easter-day till the fol- 
lowing Sunday, most commonly), and then laid up as an evidence against 
them if they ever revolted against their holy profession. Hence ialso to 
defile one's garments is to fall from one's baptismal vow and engagements. 

1452. Wh]) is such frequent reference made to Baby- 
Ion in the Revelation? 

Because under that term was implied the whole united 
power of opposition to Christ's Church until the end of 
time. 

1453. That by Babylon is also meant pagan Rome most commentators 
agree. The first or literal Babylon was the beginner and supporter of 
idolatry and tyranny: first by Nimrod, or Ninus, and afterwards by 
Nebuchadnezzar; and therefore she is by Isaiah accused of magical 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 315 



Notes on the Revelation. 



enchantments from her youth or infancy, i. e., from her very first origin 
as a city or nation. This city and its whole empire were taken by the 
Persians under Cyrus. The Persians were subdued by the Macedonians 
(or Greeks), and the latter by the Romans; so that Rome succeeded to 
the power of old Babylon. Nor did she succeed to the power only; by 
adopting the idolatries of the conquered nations she added their sins 
to her own. 

1454. Wh"^ is Satan, in various parts of the Nerv Test- 
ament, called ''the prince of the poTver of the air*'? 

Because the power of the air signifies that government 
and dominion which is exercised by evil spirits, who have 
their habitation assigned them in the air above us, and who 
are represented in Scripture as subject to one who is the 
head or prince over them, the author of their apostasy from 
God, and their leader in their rebellion against him. 

1455. It was the opinion of Pythagoras that the air was full of 
souls or spirits. This opinion would have little weight with Christians; 
but the Jews also believed that, from the earth to the firmament, all 
thin^<; were full of these companies or rulers, and that there was a 
prince over them who was called the governor of the world, that is, of 
the darkness. Our Savior endorses this opinion when saying to his 
apostles, in answer to their congratulations, that the evil spirits were 
subjected to them, **Rejoice not that the evil spirits are subject to you, 
but rather rejoice that your names are written in heaven." 

1456. Why does the Bible conclude n^ith the word 
''Amen' ? 

Because by that word is expressed a full and hearty 
concurrence with all that has gone before. 

1457. Amen is a Hebrew word which, when prefixed to an asser- 
tion, signifies assuredly, certainly, or emphatically 50 it is; but when 
it concludes a prayer, so be it, or so let it be, is its manifest import. 
In the former case it is assertive, or assures of a truth or a fact. It is 
an asseveration, and is properly translated indeed. In the latter case 
it is Petitionary, and as it were epitomizes all the requests with which 
it stands connected. This emphatic term was used among the Hebrews 
by the whole congregation at once, and from St. Jerome we learn that 
a similar method prevailed with the early Christians. 

NOTE ON THE REVELATION. 

1458. Appended are some paragraphs elucidatory of a few of the 
phrases or symbolical expressions scattered over the concluding book of 
the New Testament. They will be found extremely interesting; for others 
the reader is referred to Daubuz's "Symbolical Dictionary," edited by 
Wemyss. 

Book of Life. (Rev. iii. 5.) 

It Is recorded among the military customs of the Romans, that 
"the names of thpse who died or were cashiered for misconduct wer« 



\ 

316 KNOWLEDGE OF THE, BIBLE. 

' Supplementary Chapter. 



expunged from the muster-roll." Hence the words, 'M will blot his name 
out of the book of life." 

The White Stone. 

In Rev. ii. 17, it says, "To him that overcometh will I give to eat 
of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone." The most 
ancient way among the Greeks of giving sentence in courts of judicature 
was by black and white pebbles; the black were for condemnation, the 
white for acquittal. The like was done in popular elections. Hence a 
white stone became the emblem of absolution in judgment, and of 
conferring honors and rewards. 

The White Horse. (Rev. vi. 2.) 

"And I saw, and behold a white horse." White horses were formerly 
used in triumphal processions, or as tokens of victory. To see a white 
horse in reality, or even in a dream, was accounted a happy omen by 
both the Jews and Romans. — (Dr. Kitto.) 

Marks upon the Forehead. (Rev. vii. 3.) 

It was a custom traceable to the remotest antiquity to affix marks, 
either delibly or indelibly, upon the forehead. These marks are alluded 
to in Ezek. xi. 4, where the Almighty commands his angels to '^'go 
through the midst of the city, and set a mark on the foreheads of the 
men who sigh for the abominations committed in the midst thereof.'* 
Among the Greeks and Romans, and in Eastern countries, the practice 
has always obtained. The Brahminical forehead markings are well 
known, probably the phylactery or parchment inscription worn on the 
forehead by the Pharisees were an amplification of this practice. With 
the decadence of the Jewish ceremonial the markings ceased, but among 
the primitive Christians it was customary to mark a cross with water 
(as Iq baptism) upon the forehead. 



CHAPTER XII. 

SUPPLEMENTARY. 

1459. What is meant by a father of the Church? 
The appellation is given to several of the most eminent 

among the early Christians, who, under the character of 
patriarchs, bishops, or doctors, were instrumental, under 
Divine providence, in establishing and consolidating the 
primitive church. 

1 460. In Tvhat wa]) did these primitive fathers conduce 
to the establishment of Christianity^ in the world? 

In various ways: — By witnessing, sometimes to death, 
to the truths they had received, either personally from the 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 317 

Supplementary Chapter. 

apostles or indirectly from those who succeeded them; by 
combating and refuting heresies; by interpreting difficult por- 
tions of the sacred Scriptures; or by writing or compiling 
commentaries upon them. 

146L The chief of these fathers are as hereunder enumerated; they 
are not placed in a strict chronological order, but according to their 
relative importance. 

1462. Who rvas St. Athanasius? 

He was a native of Alexandria, in which city he was 
born about the year 296. 

1463. His parents were heathens, but Alexander, the bishop of his 
native city, took him under his patronage, and carried him to the council 
of Nice, where he distinguished himself with such energy against the 
Arians, that on the death of his protector, in 326, he was chosen his 
successor, though no more than twenty-eight years of age. He had been 
greatly persecuted by the Arians before his consecration, and now their 
rage against him was redoubled, particularly as he refused to admit their 
leader into the church, though commanded to do so by Constantine. 
The Arians raised against him various false accusations, and at length 
succeeded in getting him banished. On the death of the emperor he 
returned to Alexandria, where he was received with great joy. But 
when Constantius came to the throne, the Arians renewed their perse- 
cutions, on which Athanasius fled to Rome, where Pope Julius espoused 
his cause, and by his good offices got him reinstated in his bishopric. 
At the end of Julian's reign he was driven again into exile, but on the 
accession of Jovian he was restored and continued to enjoy his seat 
unmolested till his death in 37L — (Watkin's Biog. Die.) 

Athanasius was an eminent instrument in maintaining the truth in 
an age when errors affecting the great foundations of our faith were urged 
with great subtilty. The Scripture doctrine of the Trinity, as explained 
by him, at length triumphed over the heretics, which at one time met 
with so much support and sanction; and the views of Athanasius have 
been received in substance by all orthodox churches to the present time. 
— (Biog. Univers.) 

. 1464. Who was St, Chr^sostom? 
He was born at Antioch, about A. D. 344. He was of 
a noble family, and his father, whose name was Secundus, 
was a general of cavalry. 

1465. The name of Chrysostom, which signifies golden mouth, he 
acquired by his eloquence. He has also been called the Homor of 
orators, and compared to the sun. Successful at the bar, for which he 
was educated, he quitted it to become for six years an ascetic. When 
he emerged from his retirement, he became a preacher, and gained such 
high reputation for his piety and oratorical talents, that he was raised 
to be patriarch of Constantinople, a.d. 398. At length he incurred the 
hatred of the empress Eudoxia, and was sent into exile, in which he 
died A.D. 407. 



318 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Supplementary Chapter. 



1466. Who was St. Augustine, or St. Austin? 

He was born at Tagasta, in Africa, in 354. His 
father was a plebeian, and his mother, Monica, a woman 
of exemplary piety. 

1467. Though he had all the advantages of a good education he 
spent most of his early years in debauchery. In 371 his father sent him 
to Carthage, where he led the same dissipated life, and became a 
disciple of the Manichees.* In 380 he taught rhetoric at Carthage with 
great reputation, but still continued a disreputable life. His mother took 
uncommon pains to bring him back to virtue, but finding all her efforts 
ineffectual, she had recourse to prayer. Wearied with his situation in 
Africa. Augustin removed to Rome, where he taught eloquence with 
great applause, and in 388 was appointed professor of rhetoric at Milan. 
Here the sermons of St. Ambrose having effected a conversion, he 
renounced his heretical notions, and was baptized in 387. The next 
year he returned to Africa, and was ordained priest. He was at first 
coadjutor to Valerius, bishop of Hippo, and afterwards his successor. 
In the government of his diocese he was most exemplary, and he ^ dis- 
tinguished himself with great zeal against the Manichseans and Pelagians. f 
His controversies with the last procured him the title of doctor of grace. 
In 428 the Vandals, under Genf.eric, having invaded the country, Augustin 
was advised to fly; but he refused, and was carried off by a fever 
during the seige oj Hippo in 430. 

His writings have always been held in great veneration, and are 
the foundation of what is called scholastic divinity. Nor has his fame 
and esteem been confined to one nation or confession. They are the 
common property of the whole Christian world. His work on the City 
of God, and his Confessions, have often been translated. 

1468. Who Tvas St. Ambrose.^ 

He was a native of France, having been born in 340 
at Aries in Gallia Narbonensis, of which province his 
father was then lieutenant under the empire. 



* So called from Manes, the founder of the sect. He obtained the 
tenets that made his name famous from the books of Scythianus, an 
Arabian, who maintained two co-eternal principles, one good and the 
other evil. He jumbled various heresies together, and made a new 
one of his own out of them. He pretended to have miraculous powers 
of healing; but failing to cure the son of a certain king of^ Persia — 
as he had promised to do — he was by the truculent monarch flayed 
alive and his body given to the dogs, a.c. 278. — (Mosheim.) 

1 Pelagius, the originator of the heresy bearing his name; was a 
British monk, whose real name was Morgan, which he changed for the 
Greek equivalent Pelagius, meaning "born of the sea." In 400 he went 
to Rome, where he opposed Augustine on the subjects of grace, original 
sin, and election. The works written by him in defense of his views 
upon these subjects were condemned by the council of Carthage. — 
(Dupin.) 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 319 



Supplementary Chapter. 



1469. He lost his parent at an early age, but his mother gave 
him a most excellent education, which he duly improved. While yet a 
youth he pleaded causes with so much eloquence as to be chosen by 
Probus, the prefect of Italy, one of his council. The same friend nomi- 
nated him governor of Milan, where he conducted himself with great 
satisfaction five years, when a singular event occurred which completely 
altered his state of life. In 374 Auxentius, bishop of Milan, died and 
so fierce was the contest in the election of a successor to the vacant see, 
that the governor was called upon to quell the dissension. 

This he attempted by persuasion in the great church, and with 
such eloquence, that a voice from the crowd exclaimed, ''Ambrose is 
bishop." The saying was scarcely uttered, than it reverberated through 
the whole building, on which Ambrose in great surprise retired. The 
circumstance, according to the spirit of the age, was considered as of 
divine direction, and Ambrose was declared to be the object not only 
of the popular choice, but of that of heaven. 

After many struggles against it, Ambrose was under the necessity 
of yielding, on which he divided all his property between the Church 
and the poor. At that time Arianism * prevailed greatly under the 
protection of the Empress Justina, mother of young Valentinian; but 
the new bishop, unbiased by fear or favor, opposed the heresy with 
the utmost firmness, nor would he suffer its professors to take posses- 
sion of a church .at Milan, though an imperial order to that purpose 
was sent with a military force to compel obedience. Ambrose was 
also much troubled with the Pagans, f who attempted to restore their 
former worship, in which they were successfully resisted by the Bishop 
of Milan. When Maximius invaded Italy, Ambrose, at the desire of 
the Empress Justina, endeavored by his eloquence to put a stop to his 
progress, but in vain. Theodosius, however, was more fortunate by his 
arms, and succeeded in relieving Valentinian, who afterwards renounced 
the Arian heresy. At the beginning of the reign of Theodosius in the 
west, a circumstance occurred which diffused a brilliant splendor around 
the character of Ambrose. During the residence of that emperor at 
Milan, a tumult arose at Thessalonica. in which some of the imperial 
officers were slain. Theodosius hearing this, Immediately ordered that 
a general massacre should take place at Thessalonica; of which Ambrose 
being apprised, he instantly repaired to the emperor, remonstrated with 
him on his barbarity, and prevailed on him to promise that the command 
should be revoked. Instead of this, however, the mandate was carried 
into execution, and seven thousand persons perished. Ambrose on this 
charged the emperor with being guilty of murder and a breach of faith, 
nor would he suffer him to enter the church till after a public penance, 
and signing a declaration that no warrant for capital judgments should 
be executed till thirty days had elapsed from the signing of it, in 

* So called from Arius of Alexandria, the author, or at least the 
principal defender, of that species of heresy which denies the divinity 
of Jesus Christ. He was born and died in the fourth century. 

t The word Pagan now first came into use. Pagans, or pagani, 
meant "dwellers in the villages," "country people." The great majority 
of the dwellers in towns and cities had, outwardly at least, embraced 
Christianity, but the ruder or less polished people were still under the 
dominion of the old heathenism. At the time of St. Ambrose, therefore, 
villager and heathen meant the same thing. 



320 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 



Supplementary Chapter. 



order that there might be time for reconsideration and mercy. St. 
Aiiiorose died in 397. The hymn "Te Deum laudamus," of his com- 
position, has been universally adopted in the liturgies of the Church. 
— (Cave.) 

1470. Who was Origen? 

He was one of he fathers of the Church, born in 185, 
at Alexandria, and studied philosophy under Clemens Alex- 
andrinus. Being persecuted by his diocesan, Demetrius, he 
went to Caesarea, and afterwards to Athens. During the 
persecution of Decius, he was imprisoned and tortured. He 
died in 253. 

1471. His great works are the Hexapla, Commentaries on the Scrip- 
tures, and a treatise against Celsus. In his Commentaries he is said to 
have indulged to an extreme his taste for allegory. Some of the doctrines 
advanced by him have been condemned — for instance, one asserting the 
pre^existence of souls. The most esteemed of his works is that against 
Celsus, an Epicurean philosopher of the second century. ^ 

1472. Who was St Cyril? 

He was a father of the Church, who flourished in the 
first half of the fourth century. 

1473. He was born at Jerusalem, A.c. 315, ordained presbyter irt 
345, and after the death of Maximus in 350, became patriarch of Jeru- 
salem. Being a zealous Trinitarian, he engaged in a warm controversy 
with Acacius, the Arian bishop of Caesarea. His adversary accused him 
of having sold some valuable church ornaments, which he had indeed 
done; but for the laudable purpose of supporting the starving inhabitants 
of Jerusalem during a famine. Not satisfied with this, Acacius assembled 
a council at Caesarea in 357, which took it upon itself to depose Cyril. 
But the council of Seleucia, held two years after, restored him to his 
see. The very next year Acacius, by his intrigues, succeeded again in 
deposing the patriarch : but he was again restored to his see by the 
emperor Constantius. Valens, the Arian emperor, on ascending the throne, 
deposed Cyril the third time; and it was not until after the death of 
Valens that Cyril was allowed to return to Jerusalem. He was con- 
firmed in his see by the council of Constantinople, in 381, and filled it 
till his death in 386. Of his writings there remain twenty-three cate- 
cheses, written in a style of clearness and simplicity which are esteemed 
the oldest and best outline of Christian doctrine. 

1474. Who Was SL Cyprian? 

He was bishop of Carthage, and was born A.C. 200, 
of a respectable family, and was for some years teacher of 
rhetoric in that city. 

1475. His reputation in that office was great; but his habits vyere 
loose and expensive. At the age of 46 he was converted to Christi- 
anity; upon which he gave his property to the poor, and reduced his 
living to abstemiousness. The Church in Carthage soon chose him a 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 321 



Supplementary Chapter. 



presbyter and in 248. bishop. In this station he acquired an exalted 
character, and became the idol of both clergy and people. During the 
persecution under Decius he fled, but still exhorted his people to con- 
stancy in the faith. In 257, he was banished to Churubis, and the next 
year was beheaded. His only crime was preaching the gospel in his 
garden near Carthage. Cyprian is an eloquent writer, though with some- 
what of the hardness of his master Tertullian. An explanation of the 
Lord's prayer by him, and eighty-one of his epistles are extent. 

1476. Who was St. Basil? 

Basil, called the Great, to distinguish him from other 
Greek patriarchs of the same name, was born in 329, at 
Caesarea in Cappadocia. After having studied at Athens, 
he for a while taught rhetoric, and practised at the bar. In 
370 he was made bishop of Caesarea, where he died in 379. 

1477. He is the most distinguished ecclesiastic among the Greek 
patriarchs. His efforts for the regulation of clerical discipline, of the 
divine service, and of the standing of the clergy, the number of his 
sermons, the success of his mild treatment of the Arians and above 
all, his endeavors for the promotion of a holy life, for which he pre- 
pared rules, prove the extent of his influence. The Greek church honors 
him as one of its most illustrious patrons. 

1478. Who was St. Hilary? 

He was a father of the Church, born at Poictiers in 
France, and educated in the Pagan religion, which he re- 
nounced when grown up to years of judgment. 

1479. In 355 he was made bishop of Poictiers, in which situation 
he distinguished himself by his zeal for the orthodox faith against the 
Arians; for which he was banished to Phrygia, where he continued four 
years, and employed himself in writing his books on the Trinity, and 
other works. On his return to France he continued to exert himself 
in vindication of the doctrines of the church, till his death in 367. The 
best edition of his works is that of Paris, folio, 1693. He is to be 
distinguished from Hilary, bishop of Aries, who died in 449. 

1480. Who was St. Irenaeus? 

He was a native of Greece, and the disciple of Poly- 
carp, by whom it is supposed he was sent into Gaul. He 
was at first a priest in the church of Lyons, and on the 
martyrdom of Pothinus, in 1 74, succeeded him in that 
bishopric. 

1481. He had a disputation with Valentinus at Rome» and hefd 
a council at Lyons, in which the Gnostic heresy was condemned. Irenaeus 
was a great lover of peace, and labored to allay the controversy respecting 
the time of celebrating Easter. He was beheaded at Lyons in the 
persecution under Severus, about A.c. 202. 



322 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

Supplementary Chapter. 

1482. Who was SL Jerome? 

Jerome, one of the most learned and productive authors 
of the early Latin church, was born about 331 , in Dalmatia, 
of wealthy parents, educated with care in literary studies, 
and made familiar with the Roman and Greek classics 
under the grammarian Donatus, at Rome. 

1483. He did not escape the contaminating licentiousness of the 
capital; but his feelings were excited by the catacombs and tombs of 
the martyrs, and becoming inclined towards the Christian faith, he 
became acquainted with several of its preachers in Gaul, and on the 
Rhine, and was baptised before his fortieth year at Rome. 

Having formed a high idea of the ascetic life, he retired in 374 
into the deserts of Chalcis, where for four years he practised the sever- 
est mortifications, and applied himself to the most laborious studies. 
He now obtained ordination as presbyter of Antioch, went soon after 
to enjoy the instruction of Gregory Nazianzen at Constantinople; and 
at length proceeded to Rome, where his public exposition of the Scrip 
tures procured him great favor. Many leading families protected him, 
and Marcella and Paula, two patrician ladies, were induced by him to 
devote themselves to religious and charitable works. In conjunction with 
them, Jerome founded a retreat at Bethlehem, where he died, a.d. 420. 

His biblical labors are highly valuable. His Latin version of the 
Old Testament from the original Hebrew is the foundation of the Vulgate, 
and his commentaries contain much useful matter. He was the only 
one of the fathers who seems to have thoroughly studied the Hebrew, 
which he did, with the assistance of learned rabbins in Palestine. He 
engaged much in controversy; on which occasions he displayed great 
ability, a most extensive knowiedge of the ancient languages, and a 
glowing and lively imagination, which gave attraction to his style, and 
rendered him the most distinguished writer of his time. 

1484. Who was Turtullian? 

He was the first Latin writer of the primitive church 
whose writings have come down to us; he was an African, 
and born at Carthage in the second century. His father 
was a centurion in the troops which served under the pro- 
consul of Africa. 

1485. Tertullian was at first a heathen, and a man of loose man- 
ners, as he himself owns in various parts of his works; but he after- 
wards embraced the Christian religion, though it is not known when. 
or upon what occasion. He flourished chiefly under the reigns of the 
emperors Severus and Caracalla, from about the year 194 to 216; and 
it is probable that he lived beyond the usual period alloted to man, 
since Jerome mentions a report of his having attained to a decrepit 
old age. There is no passage in his writings whence it can be con- 
cluded that he was a priest; but Jerome affirms it so positively, that it 
cannot be doubted. He had great abilities and learning, which he 
employed vigorously in the cause of Christianit\, and against heathens 
and heretics; but towards the latter part of his life he quitted the 
church to follow the Montanists. Error, however, says a modern ecclesi- 
astical historian, is very inconstant, for Tertullian afterwards left the 
Montanists, and formed a sect of his own called Tertullianists, who 



KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 323 

Supplementary Chapter. 



continued in Africa till St. Augustine's time, by whose labors their 
existence as a distinct body was brought to a close. The time of his 
death is nowhere mentioned. The peculiar characteristic of Tertullian's 
mind appears to have been a gloomy austerity. He was very earnest, 
but his earnestness was pushed to severity, and led him to assertions 
and acts which were against prudence and reason. 

1486. Who rvas Justin, surnamed the Martyr? 

He was one of the earliest of the fathers of the Church, 
and was born at NeapoHs, the ancient Sichem of Samaria. 
He was brought up in the Pagan rehgion, and after study- 
ing in Egypt, embraced the platonic system, from which, in 
the year 1 32, he was converted to Christianity. 

1487. He continued to wear the dress of a philosopher after his 
reception into the Christian fold. At the beginning of the reign of 
Antoninus Pius, he visited Rome, where he wrote against the heresy 
of Marcion,* and presented his first "Apology" for the Christian religion 
to the emperor (Trajan), who in consequence of it adopted milder 
measures. Not long after this Justin went into the East, and at Ephesus 
he had a conference with Trypho, an eminent Jew, of which he has 
left an interesting account ,in ^is works. On his return to Rome he 
engaged a controversy with Crescens, a philosopher; and he also pre- 
sented another apology for Christianity to Marcus Antoninus Philosophus; 
but in this he was not so successful, as to its immediate results, as in 
the former. At the instigation of Crescens he was arrested and beheaded. 
A.c. 165. — (Dupin.) 

1488. Who was St. Gregory? 

There were two principal ecclesiastical writers and bish- 
ops of that name. 

1. Gregory (Nazianzen) who was born in 324, at 
Nazianzem, in Cappadocia, of which place his father was 
bishop. He received an excellent education, which he im- 
proved at Athens, and here he formd an acquaintance with 
St. Basil, for whom he officiated some time as reader of 
rhetoric. On his return home he was ordained; soon after 
which he wrote poems to counteract the designs of Julian, 
who had prohibited the Christians from teaching youth. 

2. Gregory (Nyssen), the brother of St. Basil, and 
bishop of Nyssa. He was a zealous defender of the ortho- 

* Marcion, a heretic of the second century, was born at Sinope, on 
the Euxine sea. His father was its bishop. He is called a mariner by 
Eusebius, but whether he followed the sea or not is uncertain. His 
life was far from regular, and his own father excommunicated him for 
seducing a young lady. Upon this he set up for a heretic, and a disciple 
of Cerdo. His principles were very similar to those of the Manichraans. 
(Page 318, note.) 



324 KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. 

Supplementary Chapter. 

dox faith against the Arians ; for which he was deposed and 
banished by Valens. He still continued, however, to op- 
pose that faction, and had a share in drawing up the Nicene 
Creed. He died in 396. His works were printed in 1615, 
in two vols, folio. 

1489. In 378 he went to Constantinople, where he was chosen bishop; 
which appointment was confirmed by Theodosius in 380. After filling 
this see some years, he resigned it, and returned to his native place, 
where he died in 389. His works have been printed in Greek and 
Latin, in two vols, folio. 

1490. Who fvas Eusebius? 

He was an ecclesiastical historian, and is supposed to 
have been born at Caesarea in 267. He took the surname 
of Pamphilus, from his friendship with that martyr, and re- 
ceived orders from Agapius, bishop of Caesarea, whom he 
succeeded in 315. He had a considerable share in the dis- 
putes relating to Arius, whose cause he at first defended; 
but afterwards he assisted at the council of Nice, and sub- 
scribed the confession of faith drawn up by that assembly. 

149L He was also at the councils of Tyre and Jerusalem, by which 
last he was deputed to go on a mission to Constantine, who honored 
him with many marks of his favor. He died in 338 or 340. 

1492. What n>as the origin pf the Calendar? 

It was the pious custom of the early Christians to cele- 
brate yearly the memory of the martyrs on the days on 
which they suffered. On that day the martyr was considered 
lo be born to a life of glory and immortality, and, with 
respect to that second life, it was called the day of his birth. 
The different churches therefore were careful to preserve an 
exact account of the particular days on which the martyrs 
obtained the crown of martyrdom. The book which con- 
tained this account was called a Calendar. 

1493. At first the Calendar contained the mention of the martyrs 
only; but in course of time, the confessors, or those who, without 
arriving at the crown of martyrdom, had confessed their faith in Christ, 
by their heroic virtues, were admitted to the same honor. The calendars 
were preserved in the churches. Various editions of the calendars were 
published. The most famous one is by Joseph Allemani, and is entitled 
The Calendar of the Universal Church, illustrated with Notes, The Cal- 
endar affixed to the "Common Prayer" is a compilation and abridgment 
from various foreign calendars. 

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